


Denouncing the Desert

by EnemyJoestar



Category: Darkest Dungeon (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:21:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 115,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24640774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnemyJoestar/pseuds/EnemyJoestar
Summary: Amani has been free of the desert for three years, but is still plagued with the memories of both her accident and her time as a slave. She decides to find solace in a small Hamlet that is calling for workers to help with some excavation and border control.She didn't expect to find her solace in a delicate woman obsessed with trinkets and wealth.Nor did she expect the desert to follow her to the north
Relationships: Antiquarian/Shieldbreaker (Darkest Dungeon)
Comments: 66
Kudos: 62





	1. The Journey

**Author's Note:**

> Please take note of the tags. If any of that is too much for you, it would be in your best interest to find something else to read. 
> 
> Y'all are sleeping on Shieldbreaker and Antiquarian. 
> 
> I'll be adding tags and relationships as things progress.
> 
> Not sure if I need to bump it up to Explicit later on, so we're gonna keep it at Mature for now. Nothing is really set in stone.

_Breathe in, breathe out. Feel the cold air. You're okay. You're safe. Still Free._

Amani took a deep breath in through her nose, and out from her mouth. Her head was leaned against the window on the coach door, and although it was uncomfortable, especially with all the rattling it was doing, she welcomed the cold glass on her temple.

“ _This is different than before”_ she thought to herself, “ _I'm not luggage, I'm a human being, in a coach for humans. Everything is fine.”_

She took a final, deep breath, opened her eyes, and sat upright. Right across from her was a small woman who boarded the coach with her, and to her left was a large, masked man.

He was keeping to himself, seemingly disinterested in his riding companions.

The woman across from her, however, was fidgety. She played with her rings and fussed with her sleeves intermittently, which Amani found kind of annoying. Every so often she would start to reach a hand out towards her knee, but would think better of it and pull it back to her lap.

Amani looked to the woman's face and caught her gaze. The only thing that wasn't obscured by expensive looking scarves were her eyes, amber in colour, which darted down quickly. Amani sighed.

She was used to being gawked at, but she could never get over how gross it made her feel.

_Such a fine specimen_

She decided talking to her present company might help keep her mind off things.

“So-”

She heard a loud crunch and the shattering of glass behind her. She flew forward from the force, barely keeping herself from landing in the woman's lap, and she saw the masked man tumble onto the floor of the coach. She whipped her head around in time to see what looked like a large tree fall from the window and roll down the road behind them. Further in the distance, a large, moldering giant stood with its arm extended.

“What the fuck was that?!” She heard from behind her. To her right she could see the masked man trying to stand, and to the left the door rattling noisily before falling off its hinges and onto the road. She made her way to the empty frame and peaked her head outside. The giant had started to lumber towards them, but she was more concerned with the pack of wild dogs and the mounted brigands quickly gaining on them.

“Shit” She hissed, and turned towards the man driving the coach, “Keep riding! We're being attacked!”

The coach man looked over his shoulder towards her and saw the danger he was outrunning, which was compelling enough a reason to snap the reigns and urge the horses faster. Amani whipped her head back around to face their assailants.

A strong arm reached around her to grip the frame of the coach door, and the masked man looked over her shoulder. He reached into a pouch at his hip and pulled out a handful of caltrops, nearly dropping them when the coach ran over a rock. He threw them in a sweeping motion, covering most of the road. The dogs started tripping and falling all over themselves, whining loudly as they did so. One of the horses collapsed, causing its rider to fall off and under it, screaming as he was crushed to death.

This left one rider.

He was close enough that they could see his face beaming a large, maddened smile. He took aim with a flintlock pistol. The masked man grabbed Amani's head and pushed her down as the gun exploded in the bandit's hand.

Misfire.

The bandit dropped the gun, abandoning it in favour of a multi headed flail attached to his belt. The coach bounced and the masked man tripped back inside it. Amani braced herself with her knee against the door frame and reached over for her spear.

The bandit was gaining on them.

Amani knew she couldn't pull this off with one hand. Cursing, she turned towards the two still inside the coach.

“Keep me steady!” She shouted. The woman, who was closest, accidentally slammed her shoulder into the side of the coach in her rush to get over to her, but quickly wrapped an arm around Amani's waist and dug a hand into a belt loop. The masked man held her by the hip and threaded his hand under her belt. Amani pulled her arm back, taking aim with the spear.

The bandit was within throwing range, but with the bouncing of the coach she was sure to miss.

So she waited.

The bandit, still smiling, started to swing his flail. She figured he was going to try to knock the spear from her hand.

Just a little closer.

With near inhuman speed she stabbed forward, deep into the man's skull, and quickly pulled the spear back as his face went slack. His startled horse reared up and threw him to the ground, bucking wildly.

“Pull me back in!” She shouted over the rattling of the coach.

The horses took a hard left.

The small woman tried to tighten her grip on Amani's waist, but it was too slick with sweat. The masked man lost his balance and slammed into her full force, sending them flying.

Amani hit the ground hard; the masked man landing on her upper back before their bodies both bounced wildly down the road in separate directions.

The world was spinning, and she could feel her exposed skin getting brutalized by the hard, packed earth beneath her.

“Stop!” Was heard faintly in the distance.

When she finally stopped bouncing and rolling, she found herself facing in the direction of the coach. With her ears ringing and her vision blurry she found it hard to concentrate.

She heard hissing.

_No. No no no no._

She started to panic.

_No no PLEASE no_

She pushed herself to her feet as fast as she could, feeling the blood rush from her head. She took an unsteady step forward. The desert swayed before her.

“No...get away from me...” the words slurred from her lips. She took another step and collapsed to the ground. She was about to try to stand again but was startled by a scream.

Her vision cleared and she was once again in the forest.

In the distance she saw a figure jump from the coach just as it started to careen off a cliff. They rolled as they landed, sending items flying all over the dirt and grass.

Amani couldn't find the energy to stand; every part of her feeling battered and bloody. The figure in the distance scrambled to its feet and started running full speed towards her.

She heard a low grunt behind her, followed by shuffling dirt.

The figure was close enough to identify as the small woman she was travelling with. Her scarves were no longer obfuscating her soft face, revealing a petite nose and lips decorated with a ring. Black hair that was still partially stuffed into the scarves on her neck bounced as she ran.

“ _Can I afford the luxury to find things cute?”_ she thought absently.

The woman skidded to a stop and nearly tripped onto Amani. She was panting heavily, and had to swallow hard before trying to speak.

“Are you alright?” she asked, before kneeling beside her. Amani straightened herself, letting the woman guide her into a sitting position. The woman inhaled sharply. “You're bleeding.”

A roll of bandages flew past Amani's shoulder and into the smaller woman's face. She reared back slightly and shouted in protest.

 _“_ Use those.” A deep, rumbling voice said from behind. Amani turned to see the masked man, who was now busying himself with brushing off his leather armour.

“Thanks.” She said simply. The man snorted in reply.

Soft hands placed themselves on her bicep.

The woman was inspecting the road rash as she untied a water skin from her belt.

“This looks like the only one worth bandaging,” she said while unscrewing the cap, “but otherwise you look okay.”

Amani sat still as she was tended to. It felt nice, having this kind of attention. To be touched without lecherous intent.

“What's you're name?” the woman asked.

“Amani.” she answered, pausing slightly before asking, “What's yours?”

“Josephine.” she fished inside another pouch on her belt and pulled out some dried herbs. “Eat this, it'll boost your strength.”

Amani took the herbs with hands that were shaking more than she would have liked, and placed them on her tongue. It was a taste she could only describe as electric. Her hands started to tingle and a large breath forced its way out of her as she stood up on legs that no longer felt like jelly.

“We should go. Now.” The masked man growled as he walked by them. Josephine scrambled to her feet and followed.

“What the fuck happened?” She asked. The man didn't answer. Amani walked beside her, carefully trying to match pace with the shorter woman.

“Something threw a tree at us; looked like a giant. Road was swarmed with mangy dogs and bandits as well.” she answered. Josephine furrowed her brow.

“I'm sorry, a GIANT threw a TREE at us?” she nearly shouted.

“That's what I saw.”

Josephine darted her eyes around as she thought, not really taking anything in.

“Why?” She asked. Amani threw a curt glance her way.

“I have no earthly idea.” She spat out. She didn't mean to sound so annoyed, but the thought of giants in the woods surrounding them was putting her on edge. Josephine started to fidget again, and looked away from her. A wave of guilt ran through Amani.

Suddenly Josephine perked up and ran ahead of her and past the masked man. She dropped to the ground and started to collect a number of oddities from the ground. She cursed.

“Keep moving.” the man said, trying to grab her by the scarves. Josephine batted him away.

“This is all very rare; I'm not leaving it behind.” she spat back, “if you want this to go faster, help me pick this shit up.”

The man stared at her for a bit too long, his expression hidden from them.

He turned away from Josephine and started picking up her trinkets.

Amani looked down at the things scattered across the road. Rings, baubles, tiny hand carved statuettes. Useless things, but in the right hands worth a fortune. She bent down and picked up what she could, but she could only do so much with just the one hand.

\---

It didn't take them long to gather what they could find of Josephine's belongings. She whined about a few things that must have fallen over the cliff as they continued on down the road, but was otherwise silent. They could see the Hamlet from the cliff they stood upon, and guessed it would take an hour by foot to reach.

Fearing what could be stalking them from the woods, they ended up making it in 40 minutes.

Amani was nearly dragging Josephine by the time they walked out of the trees and into the clearing that was the entrance to the Hamlet. It seemed that the small woman was not used to so much walking.

“This is more of a shit hole than I was lead to believe.” Josephine muttered to herself, slightly out of breath, leaning on Amani and clutching her arm for balance. The masked man snorted, but she wasn't sure if it was in agreement or if he was mocking the antiquarian.

They tried to ask him his name on the walk to the Hamlet, to which he replied that it was “None of their business.”

The first building they could recognize was a pub, with a small stable beside it. They recognized some of the horses to be the ones that pulled their coach; seems some of them were able to break free of the yolk before the whole thing flew off the cliff. A tall, older, balding man with glasses and a tattered purple overcoat was half-heartedly trying to soothe the beasts.

The three of them took note that the man that had been driving the coach was nowhere to be seen.

Amani felt a bit guilty that it took her so long to think of him. He must have still been on the coach when it fell.

Another man was standing with the horses, blond and scruffy looking with a dog that was just as scruffy by his feet. The dog noticed them first, and let out a small bark to alert its master. He turned towards them, seemingly startled.

“Are you adventurers looking for the work advertised in town?” He shouted.

“Yeah.” Josephine answered unenthusiastically.

They hadn't discussed their reasons for coming to the Hamlet to each other, Amani realizes.

The man waited for them to get closer to continue their conversation.

“What happened on the road?” He inquired, his tone a mix of professionalism and worry. “We expected the coach two hours ago, but I figured something was wrong once half the horses showed up alone, spooked right out of their minds.”

“We were ambushed, kind of.” Josephine answered uncertainly. The man furrowed his brow and waited for her to continue.

“A group of bandits and wild dogs chased us off the road,” Amani stepped in.

“And a giant.” Josephine interjected. The blond man's eyes went wide in shock.

“A giant on the road? And working with bandits, no less.” he said, muttering the last part to himself. Amani hadn't mentioned the giant in fear of not being believed, but it seemed her fears were unfounded.

She didn't figure giants would be something she would have to worry about during her stay here.

“Just the three of you, then?” he asked. Amani nodded as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and a pen from behind his ear. “I'll need your names for the registry. We try to keep track of who comes and goes.”

“I'm Josephine, and she's Amani.” Josephine offered casually. The man looked expectantly at their masked companion.

“Tardif.” He said blandly. The blond man jotted their names down and put the paper back into his pocket.

“Well, my name's Norville, and this is Sasha.” he said, gesturing towards himself and his dog, “We're...more or less in charge around here.”

The bar door behind him opened, drawing their gazes.

A tall, muscular redhead walked out, casually drinking from a tankard. The loud din of the tavern spilled out into the street, and was silenced when the door swung shut behind her. The woman, clad in fur and leather, nearly spat her drink out at the sight of them.

“Are these our new arrivals?” she asked. Norville nodded.

“Only the three.”

She scoffed. She took a deep drag from her tankard before eyeing the three of them down. She spent a bit longer on Amani, eyes lingering on her stumped arm.

“And one of them an amputee, no less.”

There was mirth in her voice and a deadly look in her eyes.

Amani could feel Josephine's grip on her arm tighten, reminding her that the small woman was still touching her.

“I'm strong enough as I am.” Amani said, eyes glaring back just as intently.

“Oh I don't doubt that.” the redhead said with a wicked smile. Her eyes shifted over to Josephine, who let go of Amani and stood up straight, as if trying to look more imposing. It was a near laughable sight. Norville sighed heavily.

“Boudica, if you would kindly piss off while I get these folk sorted, that would be greatly appreciated.” He said. Boudica laughed.

“I'll be seeing more of you two later.” she said, pointing at both Tardif and Amani.

She gave Josephine a snide look. “You won't last the week.”

Josephine shivered.


	2. The Run Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Norville shows the newcomers the town, and they spend some time at the local pub before the debriefing of their first job. Amani gets suspicious about the nature of the work they've taken up.
> 
> Josephine proves to be shrewder than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friend of mine mentioned I should start out with bare minimum tags on this fic, and then add them as I go just in case things go differently than expected. I'm still on the fence about removing Bounty Hunter/Jester, since it's for sure going to be canon to this fic, but I don't know how prevalent. Don't want to get someone hyped for a pairing I end up barely addressing. 
> 
> If someone reading this is here specifically for that, I'm sorry! If it doesn't come up by chapter 3 I'll remove the tag.

After their unpleasant encounter with Boudica, Norville led them over to the barracks, which ended up being a small collection of single roomed huts, each with two beds and a wood stove.

“The stoves are recent additions. The noble that inherited this land said he'd had enough of us being too stiff and cold to get any work done. And, after what happened to Junia...” Norville trailed off, staring into the hut they stood before with unseeing eyes.

Sasha slapped him on the leg, startling him back into the present moment.

“We've a lot of people right now, so you'll have to bunk up. This is the only empty hut, so I assume you two will take it.” he continued, looking to Amani and Josephine.

Josephine grimaced as she looked about the room.

“That will do fine.” Amani said. Josephine looked at her with a wide eyed expression that was hard to decipher. Norville nodded as he scratched his beard.

“Get yourselves settled and meet me at the pub at sundown; one or two hours give or take.” He gestured at Tardif. “Follow me, you'll be bunking with Sarmenti.”

\---

Josephine spent some of her time shaking out the dusty bed sheets and tidying up the wooden logs that were thrown haphazardly around the room. When that was done, she paced back and forth beside her bed, fidgeting with her rings. It was agitating to watch, and before long Amani got sick of it.

“Are you worried?” She asked. Joesphine looked at her as she continued pacing.

“No, why? Are you?” She said a bit too quickly. Amani gestured at Josephine with her good arm.

“You're pacing. People pace when they're worried.”

Josephine looked surprised at this, slowing her pace until she stopped altogether.

“Sorry, I kinda zoned out. Wasn't paying attention.” She murmured. Amani frowned.

She thought Josephine's pacing was what was bothering her, but she still felt on edge. Something about the hut, maybe.

“Why don't we go to the pub early?” she suggested.

Maybe it was the anticipation of the meeting that was putting them on edge.

Josephine nodded.

The barracks weren't too far from the town square; just down a broken, overgrown cobblestone path that was more dirt than stone from both wear and neglect. Amani had to slow her pace to let Josephine catch up, and was starting to wonder if the antiquarian was a slow walker or if she was just fast. Maybe both were true.

They reached the square and were greeted with a sombre tune, plucked from the strings of a lute by a jester in red. He was pacing around slowly, seemingly composing the song on the spot, as he switched octaves to try the same chorus again a few times before moving on to something different. Others that were meandering about stopped to look at the two women as they made their way through to the pub.

None of the looks they received were pleasant.

“I suppose this is that small town charm I've heard so much about.” Josephine said snidely. Amani made a quiet noise of agreement as she pushed the pub door open for the shorter woman, who hurried inside.

The pub wasn't full just yet, but it seemed it would be soon as almost every table had at least one patron look up to the door, presumably waiting for friends to join them for dinner. The range of emotions on their faces spanned from wary to bewildered at the sight of the two newcomers.

“Wonder if Tardif is getting the same reception.” Josephine said quietly as she scanned the room for him. He was sitting at a small table in the back by his lonesome; all the surrounding tables vacated as if he radiated an aura of danger. She frowned as he looked up at her.

“I don't want to sit with him.” she said, grabbing Amani by the wrist and leading her to the bar.

An older moustached man idly dried a glass as they approached him.

“You the other two new ones, I take it. Norville and Barristan like to take their meetings in the back corner there, without the window. Now, soups always free, anythin else you gotta pay fer. Silver fer meat or good drink, copper fer the regular shit, and gold fer vegetables” he said absently, as if the words were rehearsed too often. Josephine's balked.

“Gold for vegetables, are you mad?” she challenged aggressively. The barkeep held his hand out to stop her from continuing.

“Now, land is blighted. We're lucky to get a dozen carrots worth eating during harvest, and it gets worse every year. Only thing we can grow reliably are potatoes, stubborn fuckers that they are.”

Josephine chewed at her cheek as she weighed her options.

“Fine.” She said, rummaging through one of the pouches on her belt to produce two gold. “I want vegetables in my soup, a drink to warm me up and whatever she wants.”

The barkeep's eyebrows rose nearly to his receding hairline.

“Yes Ma'am” He said enthusiastically, taking the gold before Josephine could change her mind. He looked at Amani expectantly.

“I'll...same as her.” she said, completely caught off guard. The barkeep hustled to the back while the two waited at the bar.

Josephine gave Amani a big, proud smile.

“At those prices, no ones buying.” she explained. “Easy bartering.”

Amani nodded, taking note of Josephine's shrewdness.

They settled themselves in the corner with a few jealous gazes on their backs.

“Can't buy your hand back.” someone spat.

_Tensions are high._

There was something about this place that wasn't included in the advertisement.

The booth they sat at was situated in the very corner of the pub, with seating on three sides and an interrupted line of sight to the doorway. Josephine was sitting beside Amani despite all the extra room.

They sat in silence for a few moments as they ate together. Josephine seemed to be worrying about something.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

“Sure.”

“How can you wear a badlah in this weather?” Josephine's hand crept over to her knee. Amani caught her by the wrist.

“Why do you keep trying to touch me?” she asked curtly. Josephine went red.

“I don't! I mean, I was just...the silk looks like good quality. I assess with my hands.”

Despite her explanation, the flush wouldn't leave her face. Amani looked down at Josephine's hand, noting it to be smaller than hers. She twisted her arm gently to get a better look.

Her palm was rubbed raw.

“What happened?” She asked. Josephine followed her gaze downward.

“Oh. Rope burn, I guess. I was still holding your belt when you were thrown from the stagecoach.” She flexed her hand “ It hurts a lot but it's not nearly as bad as your arm.”

Amani loosened her grip and swiped a thumb over her palm. Her hand was soft and cold, with barely a callous or scar.

These were not worker's hands.

Amani let go. There was an awkward moment of silence between them.

“I run warm.” Amani finally said. “I get too hot if I wear anything else.”

Josephine perked up.

“Even in the snow?” she asked. Amani nodded. She hesitantly reached out to touch her again. Amani let her.

Her cool skin felt good.

“You're so lucky. I'm cold all of the time.” she awed. She moved her hand up Amani's arm, stopping at the bandages on her bicep.

The tavern door opened, letting in an older man wearing an eye patch. Norville and Sasha followed close behind, and they headed straight to the booth. Tardif stood up from his seat and moved to join them. Josephine nearly slid into Amani's lap in her haste to move out of Tardif's way as he sat down next to her. Norville and the one eyed man sat across from the three newcomers.

“How's the arm?” Norville asked. Amani rolled her shoulder.

“Fine.” She said. Norville nodded, then gestured to the man beside him.

“This is Barristan, he's also...in charge here.” He paused. Barristan nodded.

“I know all your names,” he said, “and I understand you've all come to help with the excavations.”

Tardif snorted. Josephine kicked him in the shin.

“Well,” Norville started, “We'll need your help a lot sooner than expected. Our supplies were low before you arrived, and we were going to send out a load of our spoils to trade for more. Spoils we'll now need more of to replace the stagecoach.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and laid it out in front of him.

“We're going to send you to the ruins tomorrow morning to grab whatever you can carry, while we work on repairing one of the old wagons.” Barristan explained as Norville studied his notes. “We'll send someone with you who's familiar with the area.”

“Just the four of us?” Joesphine asked. Barristan nodded.

“We try not to send groups larger than four a piece; find if you send any more than that, productivity goes down. Too much squabbling.”

He looked to Norville, who was still studying the paper.

“Normally we'd be sending someone more experienced to go this deep into the ruins but most of us are...” he trailed off, eyes going blank. There were a few moments of silence.

Sasha slapped his knee.

“Unwell.” Barristan finished for him. Norville took a second to adjust back into the conversation.

They all patiently waited.

“These are a few examples of what to look for.” He finally said, turning the paper around. Josephine snatched it off the table and took a quick glance. “Basically, you're looking for deeds, busts or crests with any of those seals on them.”

“Easy.” Josephine said, tossing the paper back onto the table. Barristan scoffed.

“Careful. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.” There was a stern look in his eye.

Josephine scowled at him, clearly offended, but said nothing otherwise.

“What of compensation?” Amani asked, feeling the need to deescalate the situation before someone said something stupid. She wasn't super interested in the money, but she was positive her companions were. Josephine assuredly.

“We take our finds, sell them in the nearby town and divvy out a share to the excavating party responsible for their acquisition. The more work you do, the more of a profit you make.” He picked up the paper and put it back in his pocket. “What doesn't go to you goes directly into the hamlet, so you're still benefiting from what isn't going into your pockets.”

It was straight forward enough. The hamlet provided bare bone lodging and access to food for free, as bland as it was, with the option to pay into the community for better goods. The partially finished repairs on the surrounding buildings corroborated Norville's explanation.

That didn't explain everyone's dour mood though. Something wasn't quite right.

“Dismas will meet you in the town square at sunrise to take you to the ruins. Make sure to be on time. You'll want to make it back here before sunset.” Barristan said as he stood up. “I suggest you all turn in for the evening. You're not used to these excursions; I think you'll find them tougher than expected.” Norville and Tardif followed his example and started heading out. Barristan waited for them to leave before turning to Amani.

“Oh, and pay no mind to the jeering you'll get from these half-wits .” He smiled and tapped his eye patch.

“I know it takes more than the sum of your parts to be strong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accidentally mentioned Sasha was a therapy dog in the last chapter notes before it became prevalent in the story. I had written out part of this beforehand but decided I wanted it as a part of a new chapter, but forgot to edit the notes. Oops. 
> 
> 1 gold is worth like 10 silver in this universe, so the vegetable thing is a huge deal. Hopefully no one in the Hamlet is a vegetarian.


	3. Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough night of sleep, Amani, Josephine and Tardif meet up with Dismas to make their first venture into the ruins. Dismas' lackadaisical attitude proves to be more unnerving than helpful, but he's soon left just as shocked as the newcomers at what they find within the hallways of their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand what people mean now when they say they struggle with AO3's formatting. Sorry if it continues to look janky.
> 
> Also I can't figure out why the end note from the first chapter keeps carrying over to the next ones, so sorry about that.

Josephine stoked the fire as soon as they got back, complaining about the cold, but it did very little to warm up the room. Josephine was shivering, even under all her scarves and blankets. Amani ended up giving her her blanket as well.

“You don't mind?” Josephine asked. Amani shook her head.

“I really don't need it.” she said gently. It was the truth.

Amani didn't remember falling asleep, but found herself back in the heat of the desert next to the shattered remains of an all too familiar wagon. She tried to take a few steps away from it, shifting her footing to match the unsteady movement of the sand, but despite moving all the right muscles to walk, she couldn't move from the spot.

She was still walking in place when the snake slithered out from behind the wagon.

“Back again.” It said. Amani tried to run, but gained no distance.

“What do you want from me? You've taken enough!” She shrieked. The snake rattled its tail.

“You've taken enough! Funny words for a thief.” it hissed. Amani shook her head.

“I didn't ask for this!” she cried. The snake slithered closer to her, snickering as she started to trip over herself in her pointless effort to escape. It coiled around her leg and up her body. She swatted at it, screaming herself near hoarse as it took its time moving up to her head.

It coiled tightly around her neck and leaned in to her ear.

“Give the desert back.”

\---

The next thing she knew she was being shook awake. She looked up at the blurry form of someone above her, unable to identify them. She shoved as hard as she could and threw her back to the wall, grabbing her spear from beside the bed. The figure rose its hands.

“Amani it's me, Josephine!” it said. Amani's eyes slowly adjusted to see Josephine a few feet away, wide eyed and trembling but standing her ground.

_Not the snakes._

_Not the men._

She lowered her spear, heart still hammering in her chest.

“Sorry.” She mumbled. Josephine shook her head.

“No, it's fine.” She said, pausing a moment to lower her shaking hands, feeling a little safer now that Amani had adjusted back to the waking world. “Are you okay?”

Amani swallowed thickly.

“What time is it?” She asked, finding her voice to be hoarse and dry.

She didn't want to talk about it.

Josephine stared at her, chewing the inside of her cheek as she eyed her up and down, as if assessing a dangerous predicament. Amani's gut sank.

_Is she scared of me now?_

“About time to leave, actually.” Josephine answered, turning her back to Amani and walking over to her own bed, where she had a few items laid out. She started tying pouches to her belt and shoving empty scroll cases into her tunic. A censer was placed onto a hook that had been attached to her belt, and underneath the waistband of her skirts Amani spotted the hilt of a kukri.

She was happy to see the antiquarian armed. Meant she was careful.

Amani gathered her spear and shield.

\---

A few people had shown up at the square before them. A man in a red scarf leaned against the destroyed statue right in the middle, and to his right stood Boudica. Tardif was busying himself with some rope as the jester from the night before plucked at his lute. Boudica was the first to spot them coming down the path. She raised an arm in greeting.

Amani rose her stumped arm in response, as a reminder.

_I'm strong enough as I am_

She could see a massive grin spread on Boudica's face.

“What are you doing here?” Amani asked when they got close enough for conversation. Boudica was still beaming.

“I'm here to see you off.” She said simply.

“Why?” Josephine jumped in. Boudica looked over to her with mild bewilderment.

“I forgot you were here!” She laughed right in her face, before returning her attention to Amani. “I wanted to see how nervous you'd be.”

“I'm not nervous.” Amani stated.

“I can see that.” Boudica said, eyeing her up once again. Amani couldn't figure out if she was trying to psyche her out, or if the woman was just really bad at social interaction.

Josephine seemed to take it a different way, but all she did was huff indignantly to herself.

Amani looked over to Tardif and found him in his own little world; coiling up his rope and staring off into the distance as the jester strummed at his lute. Amani recognized it as the song he was working on last night, but now it had a lot more energy behind it. Like he was mocking someone's bereavement with his sorrowful tune.

“Is this one not more to your liking?” He asked Tardif, cackling. “Dark and somber, just like you!”

Tardif didn't respond. The jester's pace slowed down.

“You're not giving me a lot to work with.” He said.

Tardif snorted.

“Which one of you is Dismas?” Josephine blurted out loudly, irritated with being left out of two separate conversations. The man in the red scarf rose a hand.

“This sorry sod.” He said with a humourless smirk. He stood up from his leaning position on the statue. “Time to go I suppose.”

Boudica crossed her arms and nodded her head.

“I'll see you later, shield arm.” She said to Amani. Amani didn't respond as she turned to follow Dismas, who was already walking away. Tardif took the cue to follow in a hurry, almost as if trying to get away from the jester as fast as he could.

“Goodbye, my friend! I will see you this evening; we can go over some revisions together!” the jester called out to him.

Josephine went to follow as well, but her arm was caught by Boudica.

“Goodbye, you tiny woman.” she said darkly. “Don't let her waste her life trying to save you.”

Josephine jerked her arm out of Boudica's grip.

“I don't have time for your bullshit.” she said. The jester whistled in a fake show of astonishment.

The women glared at each other until Amani called for Josephine to follow.

\--

Dismas showed them where to buy supplies, a shack just by one of the few entrances to the Hamlet, and led them on an hour walk up thicketed hills, until finally they reached the fallen entrance to the ruins. Josephine was doing a lot better than she was on yesterday's walk to the hamlet. She looked determined.

“Alright, look alive lads. I've no mind to carry any of you through this if things go south.” Dismas said, checking over his pistol. Josephine and Amani shared a worried look.

“This all seems a little over dramatic for simple excavation work.” Amani said, finally voicing her suspicions. Dismas laughed.

“Is that what they're calling it now?” He asked, shaking his head. “My my my.”

Josephine looked confused.

“Am I stupid or something? What else is there to do in a place like this?” she asked. Dismas holstered his gun and shot a sly look her way.

“Purge.”

And with that he was off into the ruins.

The others followed despite their trepidation.

They walked silently through a few ruined hallways, taking note of the vaulted ceilings and crumbling masonry.

“This looks like holy work.” Josephine said, using their torch to take a closer look at a shattered stained glass window on the floor. “This was a full on cathedral.”

Dismas shrugged.

“Not so holy anymore.” He said. Josephine threw the glass piece back to the floor.

“Could be a lot of worthwhile shit down here.” she muttered to herself.

Amani watched her as they kept walking. Josephine would run her hand along walls, lift rugs, inspect sconces and even tear down tapestries. She was getting increasingly more excited the further into the ruins they went.

Amani was uneasy, and with a sidelong glance at Tardif, she could see by his body language that he felt the same way.

Josephine was rolling up a jute tapestry to shove into her bag, which would have been stuffed by now if she didn't have such amazing packing skills, when a loud gasp shot through the hallways. She froze and looked to the others.

“Snuff the torch and hide against the walls!” Dismas hissed. She smothered it in her sleeve and sent them all into darkness.

The dark allowed them to see a bright blue glow farther down the hallway. Amani's eyes adjusted quicker than her companions, allowing her to catch the movement in the rafters above them. Dismas and Tardif were still as statues, nothing but sweat and stifled breath beside her.

She gripped her spear as the blue glow grew closer. It seemed to be gasping as if it were taking its final breaths.

The blue glow grew close enough to determine its source as a glowing caged skull balanced upon a furred, yellow trench coat.

Amani could feel the blood draining from her face.

It reached a junction in the hallway and paused.

They waited as the choked gasps reverberated off the walls.

It turned and walked down an adjoining hallway.

They sighed quietly in relief, all except Amani.

“Get into one of the rooms, quick!” She hissed.

Tardif was the closest to a door, which he didn't hesitate to fling open. Josephine bolted from the her side of the hall to fly in after him with a speed Amani didn't think she was capable of.

Amani tripped Dismas as he went through the doorway, bringing him down to the floor an instant before something rushed to strike his head.

The thing scraped its feet on the ground as it used its momentum to turn back around to face them, a glowing trail of blue following its eyes.

Gargoyle.

Amani lunged over Dismas' prone form and aimed for its neck. It twisted out of the way and lashed out with its tail, which bounced off the shield Amani thrust in its path.

Josephine snapped her fingers above her censer, sparking a flame from within it. A blue mist started to cascade out as she slowly swung it around the room like a pendulum, filling it with both light and flickering shadows. Blue danced off the cold stone of the Gargoyle as it took a swipe at Tardif, who took the hit in the chest, claws only just barely making it to his flesh. He jumped back with a hiss.

Dismas had scrambled to his feet and pulled out his gun, taking aim at the back of its neck. He took a shot and hit dead on, bullet getting lodged right on target. He cursed.

“It's stone through and through!” He shouted, reloading his gun with practiced speed. It was ready to shoot again when the Gargoyle turned its attention to him.

The room smelled electric. He felt a strange rush of energy flow through his limbs.

He ran to meet it head on and shot it point blank in the face. The force of the shot sent him spinning backward, forcing him to grab Amani's shoulder for balance. He smirked as he used the momentum to twist himself into position behind her, putting some distance back between him and the Gargoyle. It stumbled backwards into the wall, part of its face crumbling away.

Josephine slid behind Tardif.

“Guard me.” She said as she opened her censer, cramming a handful of herbs and rotten berries into it. Tardif shrugged off a blow to his shoulder while Josephine snapped her fingers and blew into the censer, as if kindling a flame.

Amani used the opportunity to strike at the Gargoyle's back. The force of her blow sent shock waves through it, shattering one of its wings. A rush of energy followed after it, slithering and hissing down her arm as it blasted into the stone. Amani jumped back as the Gargoyle started to dissolve.

Josephine stepped out from behind Tardif, blowing a putrid yellow fog directly toward the Gargoyle. She waited until it started curling around it before swinging the censer down, which rang out like a gong as the fog tightened around the stone beast.

It howled as the fog turned acidic, searing through its thick stone hide. Tardif swung out with his axe and started chipping away at the weakened parts of its body.

Amani struck again and again into its core, each strike forming cracks in its body and leaving venom in its wake.

Between the two of them they managed to shatter it into a hissing pile of useless rubble.

The vapors coming off of it smelt awful.

Dismas closed the door as Josephine lit up a torch.

The sound of heavy breathing and acid hissing became much louder, now that the door was trapping them all in together. Dismas looked white as a ghost.

“This ain't right.” He said. “Nothing but skeletons and bandits every time I've come down here.”

He leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor.

“Oh my god. Junia.” He whispered.

They stood around Dismas in silence as he sat on the ground.

“She got out alone, hiding from that thing in the halls. We didn't believe her.” He continued as he put his head in his hands. “Why didn't we believe her?”


	4. The Two Collectors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With tensions high, the group tries to exit the ruins, but find it hard to do so when they're unable to keep their cool.
> 
> It doesn't help when Tardif reveals why he's come to the Hamlet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I write short chapters. I'm a slow writer and I get burnt out if I go for too long.

They spent a few minutes in silence, listening intently for the glowing skeleton in the hallway. They heard gasps in the distance, and seeing that they continued their steady cadence, the party assumed it hadn't heard the fight.

They decided to take a breather; come up with a plan. Josephine placed the torch in an empty sconce, snapping off a decorative piece from it and placing it in one of her pouches.

They ended up sitting in opposite sides of the room; Josephine and Amani on one, Tardif and Dismas on the other.

“So, you said something about a noble.” Amani said. She wanted to ask about Junia, but with how on edge Dismas seemed about it, she figured now was a bad time. Dismas scoffed.

“If you can call him that. One of his ancestors used to own this land, and I suspect it's all he has left. Would explain his burning desire to cleanse the place but..” He paused, making no indication that he would continue.

“But what?” Amani encouraged.

“The land's too tainted. Too evil... but he won't give up. It's like he thinks obligated to fix it.” he said, speaking more to his feet than to her. “Too many of us suffering for it.”

“Why don't you leave?” she asked. Dismas chuckled humorlessly.

“Some of us don't have anywhere to go.”

Amani nodded.

_Nowhere to go._

She understood.

“We should get going.” He said, standing. The others followed suit.

Tardif removed a scroll from his belt and looked as if he was going to toss it to Amani, but paused, glancing down at her shield arm. He decided to unroll it and show it to her instead.

A wanted poster with a sketch of her face on it.

**100,000 GOLD FOR HER HANDS**

**RETURN TO VIZIER** **AL BADEI FOR COLLECTION**

“ _If you act out again, I'll take your hands. A slave's only good for dancing and fucking anyway; you won't miss them.”_

Amani tensed at the memory. 

“Looks like only half the bounty's available.” Tardif said. Dismas whistled. 

“This just keeps getting worse and worse.” He said to no one in particular. Amani gripped her spear a little tighter and took up a defensive stance.

The bastard had been following her the whole time!

“That's a pretty old bounty” Josephine spat, “ and the collection point is way too far south.  You'd have to pay to have her hand embalmed to keep it from rotting before you got to the Vizier, and that would cost you gold I'm pretty sure you don't have.” 

Tardif stopped reaching for the axe on his belt. 

“Is he even gonna pay for half a job? You fucking hack. You wouldn't see a single coin. “ She continued, unhooking the censer from her belt. 

Amani was horrified. There was no way Josephine could win in a fight against Tardif. 

All eyes were on the antiquarian.

“I'm not gonna let this happen.” she growled. 

Her fingers were poised above the censer, ready to snap. 

Amani darted her eyes over to Tardif. 

She saw him tense his hand, and was in front of Josephine in an instant, shield raised. 

He crumpled up the bounty and tossed it at her, which she instinctively blocked. It bounced off her shield harmlessly and fell to the ground with barely a sound. 

“Circumstances have changed.” He said. 

“Good, now shut the fuck up.” Dismas interrupted, his ear now pressed against the door. “We need to time this right if we're going to avoid that thing.”

Josephine picked up the wanted poster and shoved it into her censer. 

\--

They had opted to use Josephine's censer as their source of light, despite not being its intended purpose, to avoid drawing attention to themselves. If the thing wasn't magical, it probably wouldn't have emitted any light at all.

They stayed low to the ground, with Amani leading their way. Her night vision had always been good, but it had changed slightly after the bite three years ago.

She was able to see heat signatures if she concentrated, but in the cold dank depths of the cathedral, it wasn't doing her much good. She was barely able to follow her old footprints on the stone floor; her excessive body heat for once doing her a solid favour in seeping into the ground as she stepped on it, though they were starting to fade.

They could hear the strange gasps echoing off the walls, getting closer.

Amani was worried about running into both the caged skull and another Gargoyle. Or the skeletons Dismas mentioned.

They saw the faint glow of the skull somewhere in the distance at what must have been an adjoining hallway. Amani held out her arm for them to stop.

It rounded the corner, and she pointed frantically to a door they had passed a few minutes ago. They all scuffled backwards. Josephine, who was in the rear, reached out to open it.

“It's jammed!” she hissed. Dismas shoved her out of the way and tried for himself.

“Shit!” he whispered with a wavering voice, rattling the door as hard as he could. It was making a lot of noise. Tardif grabbed him by the wrist and held a finger up to his lips. He pointed to an old confessional booth. Problem was, it looked like it could only hold two, maybe three people.

Someone would have to stay outside and try to hide behind it.

Tardif waved them inside.

Dismas didn't need to be told twice. He bolted into the confessional and crammed himself into the very corner as Amani grabbed Josephine and all but threw her inside. She gave Tardif a stare and gestured to the confessional with her head.

“Go.” She mouthed silently. He hurried over and shoved himself inside, pressing Josephine tightly into Dismas to make himself fit. Dismas started to hyperventilate.

Josephine covered his mouth with a trembling hand.

Amani hid behind the booth as best as she could, but it was pretty close to the wall, making it a tight squeeze. The only thing she couldn't fit was her right arm.

She held as still as possible as the glow got closer.

She saw it in full detail.

The glowing skull was rattling against its cage, as if trying to break free. It's arms hung limp by its sides, as if they were dead weight. Its large, yellow coat dragged along the ground silently.

And god was it tall.

She held her breath.

Dismas let out a muffled scream.

The skull turned towards the confessional and screamed back.

Amani could see the booth sway as Dismas thrashed around inside it, and then nearly tip over as Dismas slammed against Josephine, sending them all tumbling out of the confessional. She squirmed her way out from behind it.

She could have stayed where she was to avoid detection, but she knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she did.

Dismas scrambled to his feet, tripped, and fell hard to the floor. Amani stepped quickly in front of the group sprawled on the floor to stand on one foot and raise her hands in the air above her. She could feel the flow of power as she struck the pose of a cobra, every muscle tense and ready to engage.

She planted her feet back on the ground as the thing lifted its coat, allowing three heads to tumble out to the floor. They twitched violently like fish out of water, then started to float up into the air; the spines that were still attached to them uncoiling and straightening as they ascended.

She recognized two of the three faces.

Barriston and Dismas.

“Brace yourselves; this is gonna be a hard sight to bare!” she shouted, voice cracking.

Josephine and Tardif rose up quickly, with Tardif rushing to hoist Dismas up by the collar of his jacket.

Josephine squeaked. Tardif made a slight choking sound.

Dismas screamed bloody murder.

Dismas' rotting head formed a ghostly body, nearly transparent, and slashed out at Amani with a dagger. She threw up her shield, blocking it with a resounding boom that echoed throughout the hall.

Josephine hid behind Tardif again and started trying to shove herbs into her censer, but was having a hard time doing it with trembling hands.

Dismas' head swiped at Amani and struck the shield again. She was having a hard time blocking his slashes, realizing that he was faster than her, and she didn't think she would be able to move fast enough to block him again.

Barristan materialized a body with a mace in one hand, and swung at her. She stepped back and barely got the shield over her head where he aimed to strike. The mace crashed into it, forcing her arm to lower and sending shocks all the way into her shoulder.

It fell limp. The strange pain reminded her of the shooting pain of slicing through nerves with a rusty blade. She staggered back as her vision swam. She tried to blink her head back into a functional state.

Tardif threw out his hooked rope at the copy of Dismas, waiting for it to lodge in his head before pulling it towards him. He punched it with an uppercut to the jaw and sent it flying off the hook to the ground, where it once again twitched like a dying fish. Josephine was finally able to stuff her censer, but was now having trouble calming her hands enough to snap.

The copy of Dismas floated back upward and focused it's attention on who it was modeled after. Dismas pulled out his knife and backed himself into the hallway wall.

“I can't do this!” he shouted, “Help me, please!”

His copy slashed out and got him above the eyes. Blood started to cascade down Dismas' face, blinding him. Tardif rushed over and swung down full force with his axe. It lodged itself deep into the thing's head, causing it to falter and bob slightly in the air.

The third head, one of a hooded woman, formed its own body and opened a book. She spoke out a garbled passage; her slack, barely attacked jaw jostling grotesquely. Her head did not turn down to face the book as she did so.

The copy of Barristan flashed blue. He swung and hit Amani in the side of the head, knocking her down to the floor.

She blacked out.

A surge of adrenaline welled up from Josephine's core and she was able to snap her fingers, her censer hissing out putrid yellow mist. She ran to Amani, pulling out her kukri along the way, and planted herself beside her prone form. She reached a hand out to Amani.

“Get up!” She said through gritted teeth. Amani stirred at the sound of her voice.

“Get up!” Josephine said again. Faux Barristan swung at her. She threw up her arm instinctively and it struck hard, the small spikes adorning the mace lodging themselves an inch into her flesh. She hissed in pain, but used the close quarters to her advantage and stabbed upwards into his head. The blade went through the jaw and through the roof of his mouth, and its ghostly body flickered for a moment.

Amani was getting up on her hands and knees, staring at the ground as her eyes refocused.

“Amani!” Josephine shouted. Amani forced herself to her feet, swaying slightly but finding her balance quickly.

The hooded woman was chanting again, and as Josephine pulled her knife out of Barristan's skull, the wound glowed green and started to knit together. Amani tried moving her shield arm, but found that it still tingled uselessly at her side. She widened her stance and stabbed out with her spear.

It missed.

“Forget them, go for their master!” Josephine ordered before running behind Amani. She blew into her censer furiously.

Tardif grabbed Dismas and dragged him as he ran around to the left of the flaming skeleton opposite Amani and Josephine. The hooded woman stood directly in front of it.

Amani braced herself, channeled her energy into her spear and threw it at the skeleton. It lodged itself deep into its chest, splashing with a spray of bright green venom. It gasped in either shock or pain.

Josephine opened a pouch on her hip and threw its contents at Barristan's feet. A multitude of crackling pellets exploded into bright smoke, completely blinding the rotting head. She ran towards the cloaked skeleton, swinging her censer wildly.

The skeleton focused its attention on Tardif, turning to him and slowly opening its cloak. The rotting flesh of human faces were stretched along its inner fabric, expressions frozen in silent screams of terror. Tardif's heart sank deep into his chest and his knees buckled, but he was able to keep himself standing with tremendous effort. Dismas was frantically trying to wipe the blood out of his eyes, but his forehead showed no signs of slowing down its bleeding.

Josephine grabbed Amani's spear and yanked it out of the skeleton, She tossed it to her, but wasn't able to put enough power into her throw. It clattered against the ground and rolled to Amani's feet.

Amani ducked down as Barristan aimed again at her head, and grabbed the spear as she rolled across the floor. She stood up quickly within range of the hooded woman and stabbed forward. The woman took the hit and started to burn at the point of impact. The acid quickly spread through her torso.

Josephine blew her toxic vapor at the skeleton in yellow, spraying it all over the contents of its open cloak. The faces started melting off of it as it screamed. Tardif straightened himself out and spun his axe in his hand, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Amani stabbed the hooded woman in rapid succession, not allowing her to make a move. The body faded away and the head flopped to the ground, lifeless.

The skeleton tried to raise its arm to point at Josephine. Tardif swung his axe down into the arm, snorting at the resounding crunch of shattering bone upon impact. Josephine's mist was rapidly eating away the thing's coat. The faces started falling off it, slapping loudly as the hit the ground. Amani took a running leap at it and stabbed right into its head. Acid started burning away at the skull.

It liquified, extinguishing the blue flame surrounding it. Everything clattered to the ground. The heads of Barristan and Dismas fell to the floor and melted away into nothing.

They stood there panting heavily, staring down at the cage sitting atop the ruined coat.

Josephine spotted something shining in its folds, and pulled out a couple of beautiful but hard to comprehend jewels. Tardif pulled some bandages out of his pocket and got to work treating Dismas' wound.

The man hiccuped and sobbed quietly as he was tended to.

“We can't survive much more of this.” Amani said, rolling her shoulder and flopping her arm around uselessly for emphasis. “I suggest we run the rest of the way.” Josephine and Tardif both nodded.

Dismas trembled, completely out of it. Tardif scooped him up into his arms.

\--

They made it out of the ruins with no further issues, which seemed a miracle to Amani, and they walked down the hill back into town in near silence. Dismas fell asleep in Tardif's arms, completely drained from his crying and shouting. He looked tiny and vulnerable, head lolling downward and bouncing with the larger man's ever step.

He was roughly Josephine's size, more muscled but just as short. Amani figured she didn't notice how small he was because of the confidence he exuded before they ran into danger in the ruins.

She looked over to Josephine, who was pale now that her adrenaline had worn off. She shivered, and Amani wondered if it was because of cold or fear. She walked with her gaze to the overgrown dirt path they were descending. Amani extended her hand out to her, making sure to put it in her line of sight.

Josephine's eyes grew wider and brighter as she turned to face Amani, who was sporting a tired smile.

Josephine grabbed her with her bloodied hand, threading her fingers through Amani's and squeezing, coveting their warmth.


	5. Showing your worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most of the Hamlet is in a panic over Dismas' state, and while he's treated in the sanitarium, Josephine and Amani get to know the local jester. 
> 
> Boudica confronts Josephine.
> 
> As does Amani.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't know that some of the base class names were changed, which is why the Houndmaster is named Norville instead of William, and it is way too late to fix that now. I only mentioned the Jester once, so I was able to go back and change that. I may make more of these kinds of mistakes in the future, who's to say.

Their return to the Hamlet was dramatic. It seemed that the jester and Boudica had waited for them, or they just happened to be in the square as they entered.

“Is that Dismas?” the jester said, immediately stopping the strumming on his lute. “Hey, they're back! And something's wrong!” he shouted.

Boudica ran with him over to the party. She took Dismas from Tardif's arms and ran with him towards a building beside the pub. Norville burst out of the pub at the commotion.

“What's happened?” He shouted at Boudica as she ran.

“Dismas looks like Junia!” She shouted back, before kicking the weak, wood door of the building, shattering it completely. Norville went to follow, but was stopped by Barristan, who had followed him out.

“Don't; you can't do this again.” he said to him, patting him quickly on the shoulder before jogging after Boudica. A few others came out from the surrounding buildings on high alert.

A plague doctor sprinted across the square after the panicked group.

Amani, Tardif and Josephine stood in stunned silence.

They didn't realize Dismas was so important.

_What happened to Junia?_

The jester sighed.

“One of you better follow them; they'll need to know what happened.”

Seeing as Tardif was the one who patched Dismas up and carried him to the hamlet, he decided he should go. The jester watched him calmly walk towards the ruined building.

“Welcome back, by the way.”

\--

Amani and Josephine ended up going back to barracks at the jester's behest, though they hadn't expected him to follow them.

“Don't think I didn't notice your arm there, moneybags.” He said as he set up a fire in their hearth. “Do you have any bandages?”

Josephine fished them out of her bag and handed them to him. He set to work unraveling her scarves before going for her shirt.

Amani grabbed her spear and pointed it at him in one fluid motion. The jester jumped back, holding his hands out in surrender.

“Easy, easy! No funny business here; I just need to get to her wound.” he laughed, “Even if I was a disgusting monster, she's not my type.”

_Disgusting monster._

He said the words bitingly, as if even thinking of such a thing repulsed him.

She took a deep breath and lowered her spear.

“Okay.”

Josephine looked awkwardly between the two, but said nothing as the jester rolled up her sleeve as best as he could. The blood was starting to coagulate, but was still dribbling out of her wounds enough to be a problem.

“I don't think I introduced myself to you two. I'm Sarmenti.” he said, helping himself to Josephine's water skin to wash her arm. “Tardif told me your names, but not who was who.” He laughed.

The two women shared worried looks at the mention of Tardif.

“You're all so quiet.” Sarmenti sighed as he wrapped the gauze around Josephine's arm. He was remarkably bad at it, but it was better than anything Josephine or Amani could manage at the moment.

Amani tried moving her shield arm, but only got shooting pain and a small twitch. It was a better reaction than what she had been getting since it had been bashed useless. Sarmenti finished with Josephine and sat down beside her on the bed.

“So,” he started, taking off his mask and hat, allowing a loose blond braid to tumble over his shoulder, “how'd it go, other than generally horrible?”

The left side of face was marred from the corner of his mouth up to just under his eye.

He looked so tired.

“Horrible sums it up pretty good.” Josephine said, rolling down her sleeve. He snickered, before looking up at Amani, who was still standing.

“You're doing remarkably well, considering whatever was down there fucked up a veteran something fierce.” he stated. Amani nodded.

“Things were a bit more...personal for him.” She said. Sarmenti quirked an eyebrow. “Kept mentioning a Junia. I think we ran into the same thing she did.”

The blood drained from Sarmenti's already pale face.

“It's real?” he asked, voice cracking.

“It's dead.” Josephine said sharply. She stood up and started dumping things out of her pouches and onto the bed. Amani couldn't help but notice her tunic was too big as it slipped down, almost fully exposing a shoulder. Sarmenti looked over and jumped to his feet.

“Holy shit!” He shouted. “Where were you hiding all of this?” Josephine shrugged.

She just kept pulling things out of secret pockets and tossing them on the bed.

“Help me sort this.” She said to them. Sarmenti nodded dumbly.

Amani could tell Josephine was trying to distract them with something to do other than ruminate. She was more than happy to play along.

Josephine found a sack she didn't remember picking up.

It smelled rancid.

“What is that?” Sarmenti asked over her shoulder. She shook her head.

“I don't know...” she trailed off as she opened it.

It took her a few seconds to register what it was, before throwing it violently to the ground.

Dismas' head rolled out.

Sarmenti screamed and jumped backwards, placing himself against the wall. Amani grabbed her spear and stabbed at the head as Josephine jumped up into the bed. Amani kept stabbing, over and over again, imbuing each thrust with her venom, but the thing just couldn't be destroyed.

Sarmenti vomited in the corner.

“What is that?!” he gasped between heaves.

“Why is it here?!” Josephine screamed at Amani.

“Quiet!” she shouted back. Everything went silent as Amani listened intently. She couldn't hear the gasps of the flaming skeleton.

Good.

“I...I must...do they duplicate?” Josephine asked breathlessly. “Did I pick this up by accident?”

She climbed down from the bed to get a better look. It wasn't moving, and it hadn't taken any damage from Amani's spear. It still smelt awful.

Amani rolled the head back into the sack with her spear.

“I don't know what to do with this.” She said.

“We give the questionable stuff to the Heir.” Sarmenti offered, “He always finds a use for it.”

Josephine let out a shaky sigh.

“Put it outside.”

\--

They ended up telling Sarmenti everything, except what had happened between Amani and Tardif. Amani had figured there was more to work out there first.

Especially with how aggressive Josephine got over it.

She'd need need to ask Josephine about that.

Sarmenti took it about as well as could be expected. He held his head in his hands as he stared at the floor.

“We didn't believe Junia when she told us about a monster in yellow; figured she was hallucinating. It seemed so outlandish at the time.” He sighed. “The other corpses had been so simple. Armoured, but still human sized. Nothing too crazy, considering.”

“Considering what?” Amani asked.

“That skeletons were walking around in the first place. In a cathedral no less.” He looked up at her. “I've never dealt with such a thing before coming here.”

“Why did you come here?” she asked. Sarmenti smiled sadly and looked away from her.

“We don't really ask that question here.” he said.

Amani felt a little guilty.

Everyone must have assumed the three newcomers had come for the advertised work. She had a suspicion that was only true for Josephine.

She knew why Tardif was here.

She knew why she was here.

Tardif opened the door to their hut.

“Barriston wants to see you in the sanitarium.” He said bluntly. He looked over to Sarmenti, body language indicating he was surprised to see him.

“When are you gonna show me that handsome face of yours?” the jester teased, winking slyly.

Tardif snorted and left.

\--

Barristan, Boudica and the plague doctor were all waiting for them inside one of the empty rooms of the sanitarium, opting not to cram them all in with Dismas. They all looked to the women as they entered.

Tardif had gone to bed early.

“Tardif told us what happened; we just wanted you to verify his story.” Barriston said, “Sometimes perspectives on expeditions differ.”

Amani explained the situation again, leaving out the altercation with Tardif. Barriston nodded.

“Everything checks out.” he said.

“There's one other thing...” Josephine said slowly. All eyes followed her as she placed the sack she carried on one of the end tables in the room. “I have to warn you, this is...absolutely fucked.”

She unraveled the sack to mixed reactions. Boudica inhaled sharply. Barriston's face paled, but otherwise he had no visible reaction.

“Fascinating...” the plague doctor said quietly. Amani found her voice to be a bit nasally.

“We can't destroy it.” Amani said after letting the others work through their shock. “Sarmenti mentioned something about the heir collecting...the troubling things we find.” she finished, having a hard time looking at the head on the table.

“Why did you pick it up? Boudica said in disgust, directing the question to Josephine.

“I didn't.” Josephine bit back. “It was just there.”

Amani stepped between the two.

“The Heir will take it.” Barriston interrupted. “It can be his problem.”

They heard Dismas crying from one of the nearby rooms.

“How is he?” Amani asked.

“He'll be fine.” The plague doctor answered. “He's just a little traumatized. I've given him a sedative, but it sounds like the dose was too low.” She pulled out a syringe, drew something green from a vial attached to her belt, and walked out of the room.

“We're going to keep him here for a few days; make sure we don't miss any symptoms. We're worried this yellow skeleton might cause other problems for those it's encountered.” Barriston paused.

“The rest of you seem alright, though you don't look too good.” He directed the last part to Josephine.

She was still looking a bit pale.

“I'll keep an eye on her.” Amani said. Barriston nodded.

Boudica glanced over to Josephine.

“Well, we've got this covered. I suggest meeting up with Norville; he's probably gone back to the tavern. Take whatever you found to him for assessment, just so long as none of it is as god forsaken as this.” Barriston said, gesturing towards the head on the table.

\--

They found Norville sitting at his usual table with a cold, untouched bowl of soup in front of him. Sasha was up on the bench beside him, applying pressure to his lap with her head and paws. He seemed to be practicing a few breathing exercises with his eyes closed.

Amani hoped interrupting wouldn't be too jarring for him. They approached him calmly.

“Norville.” She said softly, trying not to startle him while getting his attention. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the two of them, with a look of deep worry once he adjusted to his surroundings.

“He's okay. He's gonna rest for a few days under observation.” Josephine explained. Norville let out a slow sigh. Sasha sat up from his lap, but kept a paw on him.

They didn't think now was the time to go over their expedition.

“Barriston said to bring our findings to you,” Josephine said, taking pouches off her person and dropping them on the table. “I've already sorted everything by type.” She finished proudly. Norville looked utterly stunned.

“I've never seen so much from one expedition.” He awed.

“This is what I do.” Josephine said, hands on her hips and a huge smile on her face.

“We should be able to buy a new stagecoach with this easy.” He laughed. “Bravo!”

He started scooping everything up.

“I'll take this to the Heir and we'll have your shares ready for you in the morning before we take the wagon out to town.

Amani and Josephine nodded in approval. Norville and Sasha quickly left the pub once he had a good enough grip on everything.

All eyes were on Josephine.

\--

Since they were already there, the two of them decided it was time to eat. They moved to a different, smaller table, feeling weird being at the one designated for meetings.

Josephine was out of breath once they carried their food over to the table.

“You should have let me carry some of the treasure over.” Amani said, knowing full well that it would have been difficult with one functional arm. Josephine shook her head.

“Not with that arm. Don't think I didn't notice.” She scolded. Amani felt her cheeks heat up.

“We forgot the drinks. I'll get them.” Amani said quickly, walking off before Josephine could stop her.

Barely a moment later, Boudica made herself comfortable in Amani's vacated chair. Josephine nearly spat out her food.

She never even saw her enter the pub.

“You survived.” Boudica said, not bothering to hide her hostility.

“Yeah, so? What of it?” Josephine responded, equally hostile. She put down her spoon. “Have something shitty to say?”

“I told you not to let Amani get hurt saving you, but I've noticed she can't move her arm.” Boudica hissed. “Not only that, but Dismas is fucked up too. So what good are you if all you do is gather useless junk and get those around you hurt?”

“Actually,” Amani slammed the two tankards she was carrying one handed onto the table, startling the both of them, “she saved me. Twice.” she glared down at Boudica.

“Stop antagonizing her.” Amani finished.

Boudica looked at Josephine, absolutely shocked.

She eyed her up and down.

“What a surprise you've turned out to be.” She said as she stood up, vacating the seat for Amani.

“Perhaps I was wrong about you.” Boudica smiled wickedly. It reminded Josephine of a predator hunting its prey.

She shivered under her gaze.

Amani shooed Boudica away and she left without a fight.

“We've only been here two days and she's decided she hates me.” Josephine grumbled.

“That might change.” Amani said, trying to comfort her. “She seems to form her opinions quickly, based on nothing.”

Josephine fidgeted with her spoon; her good mood now soured.

Amani tried to find the right words for what she wanted to say to her.

“Why did you stop Tardif?” she asked, settling for just spitting out what was bothering her. Josephine dropped her spoon.

“I...I mean, you-” she stumbled over her words, her pale face growing a bit redder, “It was a stupid situation. Everything about it was stupid; it wouldn't have benefited anyone.”

“You almost seemed to take it personally.” Amani pressed. “You were...furious.”

Josephine struggled to find the words she wanted; mouth moving silently before giving up a few times.

“I was stressed out.” she finally said. “I don't know, that's the only thing that makes sense. I don't even know you that well.”

She decided to hide behind her tankard, taking too much of it all at once with a pained look on her face. Forgot she ordered her drinks hot.

They really didn't know each other that well at all. Barely two days.

And yet Josephine threw herself against a bounty hunter and a grotesque monster to save her.

And Amani held her hand on the walk back.

_Her arm was injured. It needed warmth._ She told herself.

“Thank you.” Amani said softly.

\--

That night she found herself in the familiar wagon, suspended mid fall. It was at a bizarre angle, but she was able to find her footing and stand upright. She could see the ghost of her past self clutching to the driver's seat.

A snake slithered past it to join her with the cargo.

“How does it feel to make use of our power?” it asked. Amani trembled as it got closer to her.

“Why did you give it to me?” she asked back; the question barely audible over her chattering teeth.

“You took it!” it hissed. She recoiled as it lunged at her, and placed her back against the wall of the wagon.

“I didn't!” She screamed back. The snake stared deeply into her eyes as it rattled its tail.

“Such lies.” it said.

Amani felt her stomach sink as the wagon picked up speed, falling towards the ground. It crashed and shattered against the sand and rocks below. She crawled out quickly and turned around to look at the wreckage.

The ghost of herself was pinned beneath the wood, the snake already pulling away from the bite on her hand. She could feel herself sobbing.

“This is where you belong.” it said “A bleached corpse, trapped beneath the mess you created for yourself.”

_Rotting in the desert forever_


	6. Tit for Tat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is on edge after the group's return, and it isn't made any less tense by all the questions they have for each other.   
> Josephine confronts Barristan and Norville on the true nature of the operation they're running, and Amani runs into a dark part of her past.   
> Boudica gets Josephine alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to take the time to try and make a longer chapter, but got burnt out as some health issues and work decided to kick my ass at the same time. I don't even think this ended up being all that much longer anyway.

Amani heard someone scream her name.

They were begging her, but it was hard to hear for what.

Something cold touched her arm.

Her eyes shot open.

“Amani, please!” They said, giving her arm a tentative squeeze. A shooting pain traveled through it like a shock wave, and she winced.

She looked over to Josephine.

She was shaking a little, but looked a lot better than she did yesterday.

“I'm awake.” Amani said groggily. Her eyes felt a bit crusty, and her cheeks a bit wet.

She must have been panicking in her sleep again, judging from Josephine's expression.

“Are you okay?” Josephine asked softly, uneasy about crossing a boundary, but too worried about Amani to keep quiet. Amani stared at her blankly, trying to think of an answer.

“No.” she said. “But I'm working on it.”

Josephine nodded her acknowledgement.

Amani gave her a disarming smile.

Josephine's eyes went wide, and her jaw slack.

She stared at her mouth a bit too long to be comfortable.

“I...I'm sorry.” She shook her head to force herself to focus before her eyes started to glaze over, “I don't know how I didn't notice before; I notice nearly everything.”

Amani furrowed her brow, and brought her hand up to her lips self consciously. They felt fine.

She ran her tongue over her teeth and froze.

Fangs.

_“How does it feel to make use of our power?”_

This didn't bode well.

Josephine gave her arm another squeeze.

“How's this doing?” She asked, trying to distract herself. Amani noticed she kept trying to steal glances at her teeth.

Amani tried moving it, and was able to get it to chest level. Pain still shot through her nerves and it tingled as if asleep.

“Getting better.” She answered.

Although, this was taking a lot longer than she'd expected. Nothing seemed to be broken.

Maybe it was psychosomatic.

Josephine massaged it gently, causing Amani to wince. Still too tender.

“What are we doing today?” Amani asked. Josephine frowned.

“Well, other than collecting our share from Norville, I'm not sure there's anything we're supposed to be doing. Although...” She trailed off.

“What are you thinking?” Amani asked. Josephine chewed at her lip.

“Is the Tardif situation resolved?” she asked back. Amani frowned.

It was hard to say. It could be one of those awkward situations where everyone involved pretends it didn't happen, or they might need to make it very clear where they stand with each other. Either way, she was positive Tardif wasn't going to address it. He hadn't mentioned the bounty to anyone, or so it seemed. She didn't fear another attempt on her life, anyhow.

She'd have to wait and see.

“We'll keep an eye on him.” she said.

There was a pause between them.

“Should we leave?” Josephine asked. Amani was a little taken aback.

“You came here for the excavations. Have you changed your mind?” She asked back. Josephine fiddled with her rings.

“I didn't...I mean, I did, but I'm used to traps and grave robbers; not rotten, god forsaken head collectors.” she mumbled.

_Didn't?_

Amani was a little suspicious at that.

“We'd have to wait for the new stagecoach.” Amani stated. Josephine froze at that.

Their last trip hadn't gone so well.

“Well, I'd at the very least like to give our employers a piece of my mind.” Josephine huffed. “Maybe meet with this Heir about getting a bigger cut.” she looked to Amani with a smile, holding up one of the bizarre jewels she had pilfered from the collector.

“I mean, I think it's reasonable to help myself to a little before I hand anything over. A handling fee, if you will.”

Amani laughed.

She took note of the way Josephine stared at her.

\--

They caught Norville, Barristan, and the man they learned to be the caretaker loading up the wagon. Sasha barked at their arrival.

“Ah, there you are.” Norville said, putting the last sack onto the cart and wiping the sweat off his brow. “We have your shares right here.”

He pointed to a few sacks on the ground.

They were pitifully small.

“What is this pittance?” Josephine asked, gesturing at the bags. Barristan and Norville gave each other worried looks.

“This is what the Heir decided was fair to split between the four of you.” Norville said, almost sounding guilty. Josephine shook her head.

“I've been on expeditions that were a walk in the park compared to yesterday, and had made four times as much as this” she scowled. “What do you take me for?”

William scratched at his beard nervously.

“We don't make the rules.” Barriston explained.

“Then what do you do, exactly?” Josephine asked viciously, hands on her hips.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the men struggled to find an answer.

“Why the posters?” Amani asked, voice dangerously calm.

A shiver ran through their spines.

“The Heir...needs an army.” Barriston started slowly. “To cleanse his land.”

“People stopped coming after they noticed those who entered the Hamlet never returned.” Norville added.

Josephine shot him a look of both disapproval and confusion.

“Are you not letting people leave?” she asked. Norville gritted his teeth.

“....no.” he said, absolutely ashamed of himself. Sasha gave Josephine a single, sharp bark and placed her paw on Norville's leg.

Barriston sent him inside.

“We don't like this anymore than you do.” He sighed. “I won't go into detail, but the Heir has leverage on us. All of us.”

Josephine gave him a hard look.

“How is that possible?” She asked.

“He has a way of knowing things.” Barriston said, a cold, dead look in his eyes. “He may already know your secrets too.”

A flash of fear went through Amani.

Josephine showed no reaction.

“I'm...sorry.” Barriston said, absolutely devastated. “ I know it's too late for you, but I'll have the caretaker remove the posters in town.”

“You've condemned us.” Josephine stated.

Barristan walked away.

\--

Amani and Josephine decided to visit Dismas, both to give him his share of the profits and to see how he was doing.

And to see if he had anything to say to them.

They were greeted by a crotchety, middle aged nurse with a deep scowl that looked to be permanently etched onto her face.

“Oh no, no more visitors! He's never going to recover if he gets more attention than a golden goose!” She scolded as soon as she saw them.

He really was more popular then they ever would have guessed.

“Let them in! I'm sick of seeing nothing but your face and this dumb fucking bird.” Dismas shouted from a room in the back. The nurse sighed and waved them forward.

'This dumb fucking bird' turned out to be the plague doctor, who was fussing with a syringe.

Dismas gave them a tired smirk.

He looked awful.

He was still pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and his body radiated exhaustion.

Granted, it had barely been a day since he was put in recovery.

He looked over to Josephine and gestured to the bag she held in her hand.

“That for me?” He asked. Josephine nodded and handed it to him. He took a quick look inside and scowled.

“Stingier every week.” He grumbled, before tossing the bag on the end table.

“How do you feel?” Amani asked. Dismas shrugged.

“Kind of shit, but I think I'll bounce back.” he said, a small crack in his voice giving him away. He was still nervous.

“Like I said before, he'll be fine.” The plague doctor chimed in. “The body's fine, he's still just in emotional shock.” She patted him on the shoulder.

“I won't let you end up like Junia.”

Dismas somehow got paler.

And so much sadder.

The plague doctor walked out of the room without another word.

Dismas looked up to them.

She couldn't ask him like this.

What happened to Junia that had the Hamlet so torn apart?

They stared at each other for awhile.

“Where's your friend?” Dismas finally asked. Amani gave him a stern look. Josephine silently acted out holding a scroll and pointed to her.

Dismas shook his head.

They let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding.

“We haven't seen him since yesterday.” Amani said. “He was tired from carrying you.”

Dismas nodded.

“Aye, I was out the whole way. Didn't really come to until this morning.” he said, “Although no one will give me a damn minute to myself now that I'm awake!”

He laughed heartily.

Josephine chuckled politely.

“Though, I am glad you two stopped by. It's nice being acknowledged by people who've gone through the same shit. Makes me feel a little less crazy.” Dismas said. It sounded genuine.

They all nodded.

“If you find the time, I'd like you to send your 'buddy' over. I'm not normally this much of a sap, but I'd like to thank him, I guess.” He said, scratching the bridge of his nose as they left his room. Josephine gave him a small wave.

The front door opened just as they were about to leave the sanitarium. A second of panic flashed through Amani, followed by burning hot rage.

She was face to face with a full suit of armour that stood barely an inch above her head, carrying a familiar banner on its back.

_Crusader_

Her entire body tensed up as she balled her hand into a fist.

“A bit far from the holy lands, aren't we?” she said bitingly, teeth bared like a wild animal.

The crusader's head moved from her head to her toes, as if assessing her.

“And yet I am followed by its vermin.” a deep voice replied.

“Move, or I will move you.” Amani threatened; taking care to enunciate every word as if imbuing them with her venom.

Josephine looked back and forth between the two in horror.

Neither of them looked like they would back down.

Amani placed her foot behind his ankle and elbowed him in the chest. He tripped into the door hard, cracking it as he struggled to balance himself.

She stormed off towards the barracks.

Josephine was torn between following her and letting her have a moment to herself.

She did, however, pause to glare at the crusader.

“You'd do well to watch your mouth.” she said.

It was an open threat.

\--

Josephine ended up giving Amani some space, which she was grateful for. She couldn't guarantee she wouldn't lash out; she was absolutely livid.

She never thought she'd run into a crusader so far north.

_“And yet I am followed by its vermin.”_

She spat on the ground. The absolute gall of that monster.

It seemed a more fitting title for him; invading and ravaging lands for his own benefit under the guise of the greater good.

And oh how she paid the price for his selfishness.

She would not be treated as subhuman.

She would not let him corrupt this Hamlet like he had her home.

And she would not suffer at the hands of those who would see his will be done.

_The Holy War._

They went through all the trouble to start a war to pillage the land and 'save the heathens from the devils they worshiped', but couldn't be bothered to break one rusty lock on a cage filled with scared women and children.

Slaves begging for help.

What god would condone such a thing?

She had heard from some of the other harem girls that she had been lucky compared to the women in the other villages. An absolutely disgusting truth that left a bitter taste in her mouth.

_“At least you weren't passed around the whole battalion.”_

A man like him deserved death.

She would leave him to rot in the dungeons.

\--

Josephine was so used to sticking by Amani's side that she didn't know what to do with herself. She thought about going to the tavern, but she hadn't really explored the Hamlet proper.

Dismas also said he wanted to talk to Tardif, but she wasn't in the mood to go looking for him.

She decided that if they were all stuck in the Hamlet, she might as well try getting to know some of the other adventurers. She spent a few moments fidgeting with her rings trying to plan out exactly how to do that.

She was aware she had already gained a reputation. The demanding, shrewd woman with a sharp tongue.

People talked more about her than they did Amani, who was gorgeous, strong and battle scarred.

Dressed in rare silk and fine gold that looked good on her tanned skin.

And the sharp teeth she overlooked.

A hand clapped down on her shoulder. She let out an embarrassing squeak, completely caught off guard.

She turned around to see Boudica bent down slightly to be at eye level.

“I need to talk with you.” She said. “Let's walk.”

She walked off towards the edge of the Hamlet. Against her better judgment, Josephine followed.

They stopped walking when they got to a small creek that separated the Hamlet from the forest. Looking into it, you could see the gradual fade to a blighted, corrupted woodland.

Boudica sat on the edge of the creek, leaning back on her arms and tucking a leg beneath her.

Josephine sat on her knees with her hands in her lap.

“I owe you an apology.” Boudica started. “I was quick to judge.”

Josephine blinked dumbly before quickly composing herself.

“You absolutely were.” She responded. Boudica nodded to herself.

“It's...I've seen so many people come here; most of them dead now. I've gotten good at spotting the...” she waved her hand around, trying to find the right word, “weak. Liabilities, Paracelsus calls them.” she paused.

Josephine was listening intently.

“I've seen your type come through here before; city folk good at reading and stealing. Selfish folk. Seen them get good, strong people killed.” Boudica continued. “But I was wrong about you.”

“I'm glad you've realized that.” Josephine said.

Boudica laughed heartily.

“As am I!” She said.

She looked at Josephine with a glint in her eye.

“I notice you shiver often.” Boudica grinned, “I've a warm bed to share, if you wish.”

Josephine went beet red.

“I uh, no, I-I...you, hmm.” she stammered, at a complete loss for words.

“You don't like women?” Boudica asked. Josephine stared down at her hands, too embarrassed to look Boudica in the eye.

“I like women; I just don't sleep around.” She mumbled. “Just not for me.”

“Ah, romantic type.” Boudica nodded. “Too bad.”

\--

Boudica took rejection very well, so well in fact that Josephine was starting to wonder if the invitation was ever made. It made the walk back a lot more pleasant than she thought it would be.

Unfortunately that pleasantry was short lived.

The Crusader was in the square, interrogating Tardif.

Josephine saw this as an opportunity.

She waved Boudica goodbye and walked up to the two of them casually, trying to catch a bit of their conversation.

“...I don't know why everyone is so quick to believe you, but know that I certainly do not.” the Crusader said, finger pointing down to Tardif.

“You spoke to the man.” Tardif replied, “Do you not trust his word?”

“He's traumatized! He doesn't know what he's saying.” the Crusader nearly shouted. “And I don't think you're properly owning up to your mistakes.”

In regular fashion, Tardif didn't outwardly react.

“And what exactly are you trying to insinuate?” Josephine stepped in. The Crusader's head snapped over to her.

“Not willing to outwardly accuse him of mishandling the situation? Or are you trying to blame him entirely?” she continued.

“I have nothing to say to you.” He growled.

“Oh I'd have figured you did, unless your only quarrel is with him.” she gestured to Tardif. “But why would that be?”

The Crusader hesitated.

“Seems odd to be angry at the man that saved your friend's life. Unless,” she paused for emphasis, “you feel guilty.”

“That's preposterous; I wasn't there!” he shouted, voice cracking slightly.

“Exactly.” Josephine said, tone accusatory.

The Crusader stepped back as if he'd been struck.

He turned and walked away before she could say anything else.

She waited until he had stepped out of earshot before looking to Tardif.

“I didn't need your help.” He said.

“I wasn't helping you.” Josephine answered.

She was asserting her dominance.


	7. Junia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amani spends some time with Sarmenti, who finally explains what happened to Junia. 
> 
> She's given her next mission, and worries about the safety of Josephine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey remember when I said I'd probably make more mistakes? I've been calling Barriston Barristan this whole time, and I've been meaning to call them wood stoves, not hearths. 
> 
> It's too late for you Barriston, I'm sorry.
> 
> The next chapter will have some action.
> 
> And thanks for the well wishes!

Amani's brooding was interrupted by loud knocking on the door, which was then thrown open without waiting for an answer.

“Town meeting's being called tonight, figured I'd give you the warning.” Sarmenti said. He stared at Amani a moment. “You're upset.”

Amani looked at him apathetically. Sarmenti sighed.

“Everyone's upset. I don't understand it; this is the best outcome we've had from an exploration in a long time.” he frowned. “What happened to your arm?”

Amani looked at her shield arm, just now noticing the deep, black and purple bruise on and around her elbow.

Now that it had been pointed out to her, it hurt like hell.

“Small accident.” She said simply. Sarmenti crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

“How are you going to get anything done if you keep brutalizing that arm? A few of us noticed you weren't using it yesterday. Can you move it?” he asked.

She tried moving it. The pain nearly left her breathless.

If it wasn't broken before, it certainly was now.

“Shit.” she whispered. Sarmenti rolled his eyes.

“I'm not a medic, you know.” He started walking over to her but hesitated halfway. “You good if I touch you? Just the arm.” he held his hands out in a disarming manner.

Amani nodded.

He knelt down and grabbed it gently, twisting it and pinching in a few places.

“ 'Small accident', huh?” he teased. “We might have to have Junia look at this.”

“Junia?” she asked.

“Yeah.” he said simply, all mirth drained from his voice.

It seemed that it was finally time to learn about this ill fated woman.

\--

Amani was loathe to walk through the square for the sole reason that the Crusader might see what her actions against him had accomplished. She didn't want to seem weak around him.

Or foolish.

Sarmenti lead them to the tavern.

“She stays in a room upstairs...” he explained, “It's...warmer there.”

Luckily enough the pub was near empty, save a blonde woman in blue and the Plague Doctor, who were playing cards in the back.

They walked up the stairs and down a hall, all the way to the back. A cross was nailed to the door.

Sarmenti knocked gently.

“Junia? May we come in?” He asked.

“Yes, please.” a soft voice answered quietly.

Sarmenti opened the door.

Amani recognized her face instantly.

The rotten, hooded head she gored mercilessly in the ruins.

She may have stabbed her on reflex if she hadn't left her spear in the barracks.

“Oh, Sarmenti.” She started, voice airy and weak, “It's so good to see you.” She closed the book she was reading and went to stand from her seat by the wood stove. Sarmenti put his hand up.

“You don't need to get up; I can come to you.” He said, leading Amani into the room. “This is Amani, she's hurt herself pretty bad.”

Amani gave her a good look. She was pale as death, with what looked like a touch of frostbite on her nose, ears, cheeks and fingers, and she shivered as if she were naked in a snow storm.

Despite being wrapped in wool vestments and sitting next to a roaring fire.

She looked fragile. Amani almost didn't want to bother her.

“Let me see.” Junia said, gesturing for Amani to come closer. Amani walked over and knelt beside her, allowing her to look at her arm without standing up. She ran her cold hands gently up and down her arm, assessing it.

Amani hissed at the contact. She hadn't noticed how bad the swelling was.

“I'm sorry, I don't think I have enough energy to heal it fully; your body will have to take care of the bruising.” Junia said remorsefully. “And I can't keep pain at bay anymore. You'll have to suffer through the process.”

Junia held her hands steady on Amani's arm and whispered a prayer. She spoke so softly that Amani could barely hear her.

Her arm glowed slightly as it started to mend itself. It throbbed as the swelling went down, causing her arm to tremble. She could feel the bone in her elbow shift back together with too much clarity. Every nerve in her arm was screaming as all the painful steps of natural healing were being forced on her all at once.

Amani had to bite her lip to keep herself from crying out.

She couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears running down her face.

When the pain faded from agonizing to a dull ache, Junia let go, completely out of breath.

Sarmenti placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright.

“I'm okay.” Junia said. Sarmenti gave her a small squeeze.

“Will you be coming to the meeting tonight?” he asked. Junia nodded her head.

She looked to Amani.

“I hope I was of some help.” She said.

“Yes, thank you.” Amani said with a small smile.

Junia's face twisted into a look of horror.

“What are you?” She asked, voice warbling.

Amani was confused for a moment, before realizing what it must have been.

Her teeth.

The head collector had sharp teeth.

It was such a small detail compared to everything else, but to Junia every inch of the thing must have etched itself into her mind.

Amani had no idea how to address this, but she knew she had to act fast. She looked to Sarmenti for help. He swung around to block Junia's gaze.

“She's okay. She...shit!” he hissed. “We weren't supposed to tell you yet.”

“Tell me what?” She asked, voice suddenly clear and strong. “Are you keeping things from me, Sarmenti?”

He looked at her, guilt spreading across his face.

“The last group from the city, her group, they...” he swallowed hard, “they killed it. It's dead.”

Junia's eyes lit up, fully attentive.

“Dead?” she asked. “And the copies?”

“Destroyed.” Amani lied.

There was still the one they had accidentally brought back to town.

Tears started to well up in Junia's eyes.

“Oh god,” she sobbed, “it's over. It's finally over.”

Sarmenti held her gently as she wept.

Amani stood awkwardly, cradling her arm.

\--

Junia asked for some time to rest before the meeting, so Sarmenti and Amani went downstairs for a drink.

Sarmenti ordered something hard. Amani ordered something warm out of habit.

“What exactly happened to her?” Amani finally asked. She really didn't expect to be asking the town Jester, but now seemed to be the right moment. Sarmenti stared blankly into his drink.

“She had been sent into the ruins with a few of the reformed highwaymen for a longer expedition; was expected to take a few days.” He laughed mirthlessly through his nose. “Those men had really liked her; like a big sister.”

He drained his glass of whisky and motioned for the barkeep to pour him another.

“They had run into the head collector. Every one of them got killed, save for her.”

He paused as the barkeep slid him another glass across the bar.

“She got out alive and ran straight back to the Hamlet.”

“That isn't all though, is it?” Amani asked. Sarmenti shook his head.

“She ran back to the barracks and locked herself in. It was so cold, and we didn't expect her back for a few days. She was already in shock, so hypothermia got to her.” Sarmenti drained his second glass.

“We found her two days later when we came to collect her belongings. We figured she died in the ruins, but found her curled up on her bed. By then she had already grown so weak. It's a damn miracle she lived.”

“Dismas said you didn't believe her about the collector.” Amani prompted. Sarmenti shook his head.

“We didn't; none of us did. We thought she was delusional from the cold.” he said, before flopping his head into his arms. “And then you three newbies got sent in with Dismas without so much as a warning.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“I think Dismas will be okay.” Amani said, still on topic but not focused on the worst of it.

Sarmenti sat up from his crossed arms and looked at her.

“How is it that you're doing so well after an encounter like that?” he asked, coming off a bit aggressive in his drunken state.

“I don't know.” she answered. She really didn't have an answer for him.

“That's disappointing. I figured there must be something special about you since even big, strong, stoic Tardif was having such a hard time coping.” Sarmenti gestured to nowhere in particular.

_What?_

“Tardif?” She asked for clarification. He nodded.

“Locked himself in our hut and stared at his feet for couple of hours. I got him to loosen up enough to get some sleep eventually,” Sarmenti mimed out the strumming of a lute, then started to laugh, “but I still couldn't get him to take off that damn mask!”

\--

Sarmenti lead them to the ramshackle church on the very edge of the Hamlet, taking a path that ran through the graveyard.

A lot of the graves looked fresh.

They all gathered inside and tried to sit among the collapsed pews, but some of the adventurers decided standing was the better option.

Dismas was missing.

Junia had been gently placed on one of the few pews that was both intact and fixed with a cushioned seat.

Her shivering was visible even from the back of the nave.

Amani scanned the crowd, looking for Josephine. She stood next to Tardif and Boudica a few pews down.

She moved her way past the crowd and met up with her, Sarmenti close behind.

Josephine instinctively put her hands on her arm. Amani thought her hands felt a little colder than usual.

She glanced over at Junia at the front.

Norville and Barristan walked through the chancel to the podium, and Sasha barked for quiet.

“We've a new mission from the Heir.” Norville said scratching his beard and looking down at the sheet of paper he held. “It'll be to the Warrens. Longer trip, about one night of camping.”

There was a tense silence.

Josephine and Amani had no idea what this meant.

“Says here he wants...the new women...” Norville squinted at the page, “I had told him their names; that's pretty disrespectful.” he muttered to himself. Barristan took the page from him.

“Amani, Josephine,” he frowned, “Dog man and BDSM, really?” He quietly said to Norville.

“Does he mean me or Bigby?” he whispered.

“I think he started calling Bigby wolf man.”

“Half man.” a man in chains called to the front.

“I knew it was something man.” Barristan mumbled. Norville sighed and took the paper back.

“We're to recover as much as we can; pick the place clean. Hm, seems Josephine left an impression.” he said.

Josephine clutched Amani's arm a little tighter as a few gazes were cast her way.

“Alright, the rest of you are cut loose. The four mentioned and Paracelsus will stick around for a proper debriefing.” Barristan said, shooing them all away casually.

There were a lot of sighs of relief and some nervous laughter as the other adventurers funneled out of the church, some glancing at Josephine and Amani curiously.

Tardif grunted at the two of them and left with Sarmenti, who flashed them a grimace of a smile. Boudica put a hand on both of their shoulders.

“The Warrens are rough. They're humid, they stink, and they're filled with 'mutated offal', as Paracelsus put it.” she said, voice low. “But they bleed good down there.”

She turned from them to jog after Tardif and Sarmenti.

Barristan called them up to the front.

They walked up and stood beside a man covered in scars wearing a tattered robe; hood up, chest exposed and bottom detached. The spiked collar left no doubt in their minds as to why he had been called BDSM.

Norville cleared his throat.

“We'll meet at the usual spot in the square at dawn. I'm gonna have Paracelsus give us some shots to give us a boost against their...filth. Anti nausea, disease repellent..”

“Vaccination.” she interrupted. “And you don't need one; they last a year. Waste of resources otherwise.”

“I won't take it.” Damian said. "I must suffer for the light."

Both Norville and Paracelsus sighed.

“Let me give you the damn vaccine!” Paracelsus shouted, “You can't do your damn religious suffering if you're dead, you lunatic!”

That seemed to be enough to convince him.

Paracelsus pulled out three syringes, loaded them up and made Josephine roll up her sleeve.

Josephine nodded at Amani. She was okay.

Amani knew she was worried about yesterday's incident with Sarmenti.

She appreciated her concern.

\--

After a small dinner they decided to try and sleep. By the sounds of it, the following two days were going to be difficult, and they wanted to get some decent rest before hand.

Josephine wanted to get a look at Amani's shield arm first.

“It looks painful.” she said, gently tracing the bruise.

“It looks worse than it is.” Amani flexed her muscles to emphasize.

Josephine ran her fingers over them.

“Are your shield straps going to agitate it?” she asked.

“Maybe a little, but I'm sure I can handle it. Your hands feel nice on it.”

Amani hadn't meant to say that last part.

“Are you asking me to massage your arm if it gets sore?” Josephine teased, a little red in the cheeks.

“I wouldn't say no to that.” Amani teased back. Josephine flushed a little darker.

\--

Josephine was having trouble with the fire. No matter what she did, she couldn't get it much higher than embers. Must have been bad wood.

She sighed and gave up when she started to feel herself getting too frustrated with it.

Amani watched her as she crawled into her bed, shivering a bit more than usual.

_“She had already grown so weak.”_

She frowned, suddenly very concerned. She looked closely at Josephine, who was clearly freezing.

She was reminded of how pale Junia had looked. So frail and frostbitten.

_“It's a damn miracle she lived.”_

What if Josephine came back from an expedition in shock and she didn't notice?

What if the fire wouldn't light?

“...Hey.” Amani called out quietly. Josephine shifted her blankets higher.

“Yeah?” she questioned.

“Why don't you sleep here with me.” Amani said slowly, realizing the invitation was a bit out of line. Josephine sat up quickly.

“What?” she squeaked out. Amani couldn't see her, but figured she had gone red again.

“The fire's out, it's cold, and I run warm.” She explained. “You can bring the blankets if you need them.”

Josephine shuffled a bit in the dark.

“I...okay.” She said quietly. She gathered a few of her blankets and slowly walked over to Amani's bed. Amani sat up to take the blankets from her.

Josephine slid in beside her as Amani wrapped the blankets around them with some difficulty.

She laid back down beside her, facing Josephine, not exactly sure if it was rude to turn her back on her, or invasive to face her.

Josephine scooted a little closer.

Amani decided to wrap her arms around her, pulling her closer yet.

_"She needs all the warmth she can get."_ she told herself. 

Josephine clung to her a bit too tightly.

It didn't take too much longer for her to stop shivering.

\--

Amani stood alone in the middle of the desert. The sun was unnaturally grey, despite the cloudless sky, and the winds were absent.

She stepped forward, noting the sand did not shift was she walked.

She didn't really have a destination.

A giant cobra rose from the earth, sand slowly spilling from its body.

Amani took a step back.

“You've invoked my wrath, dancer.” it said, deep voice reverberating in her chest.

Amani was too scared to reply.

The cobra loosed its tail from the sand and rattled it loudly. The sound sent shivers through her entire body.

“Did you think the cold of the north would save you?” It continued. “How could it, when you carry a piece of the desert with you?”

It lunged forward, stopping mere inches away from Amani's face.

“A piece of us.”


	8. Near Death Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josephine worries that she won't be able to recover anything of worth from the musty bowels of the Warrens, but finds this to be the least of her worries. 
> 
> They learn quickly how brutal the Warrens are.
> 
> And how strong a man on the edge of death can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to bump this up to explicit and add the graphic depictions of violence warning because of this chapter. I do some horrible things to this party.
> 
> The Warrens is my favorite area in the game, mostly for the "House of the Borderland" reference, and I love how particularly brutal and disgusting the enemy designs are. 
> 
> And I must say that I am reading all your comments and appreciating every one of them, even if I'm not responding! You guys are the best :)

Amani woke to the sound of whimpering. Something was squirming in her arms.

She remembered inviting Josephine to bed with her.

She realized she was crushing her.

She let go and flung herself against the cold stone wall, putting distance between the two of them. Josephine let out a pained gasp.

“Oh god,” Amani said in horror, “I-I didn't mean to...”

She was having a hard time talking, too afraid of the consequences her nightmare may have had on Josephine.

The Antiquarian coughed a bit before sitting up.

“I know.” She said, wheezing slightly. “It's...nightmares, I'm assuming. An accident.”

She stretched her arms out and moved them to get the blood flowing again.

“Are you okay?” Amani asked. Josephine nodded. She looked around the room.

“You've got good timing; it's about time to get ready anyway.” She stood up from the bed and walked over to hers to collect her various pouches and cases.

Amani thought she was taking this a bit too well, but decided not to press the issue.

She felt guilty enough.

\--

They made it to the square after Norville and Sasha, but before Damian. Boudica, Tardif and Sarmenti were there as well.

“Usually there are larger gatherings before an outing, but no one's really gotten to know you yet.” Sarmenti explained. “People like to say their goodbyes, just in case it's the last time they'll see you.”

Boudica nodded. She looked to Norville.

“Either people have a lot of faith in you, or you've lost popularity.” She said bluntly.

“I imagine it's something to do with being upgraded to one of the Heir's right hand men.” Barristan said, walking to the square with Damian in tow.

Damian was covered in fresh, shallow wounds.

“You've never been popular.” Boudica said to him. Sarmenti snorted and quickly covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Damian didn't seem too worried about the comment.

Tardif didn't say anything to them, but Amani figured they should be grateful enough that he showed up at all. The man didn't seem to be good at emoting.

It felt weird that not too long ago he had intended to kill Amani.

“Paracelsus made you anti venoms for free, which is rare of her, but I'd take advantage of that.” Barristan said, handing Norville a small sack that clinked as it was jostled. He looked surprised.

“Awful nice of her.” He said, tying the sack to his belt.

Barristan clapped him on the back.

“Sasha's had her shots?” He asked. Norville nodded, reaching down to pet her. She stood stalwart at his side with a small wag in her tail.

Amani figured Sasha had a lot of work ahead of her.

\--

They had bought a lot of supplies and unsurprisingly Josephine had ended carrying more than they thought her small frame could handle.

“This is what I do.” she had said. She didn't even seem over encumbered.

The walk to the Warrens was shorter and less tiring than the one to the Ruins, but the closer they got, the more rancid the air became. It became apparent why when they reached the open, collapsing lattice gate that was the entrance. The ground was covered in nearly liquefied feces, with what looked like scraps of flesh and bone mixed in.

Amani put her veil on.

“It's an old sewer system.” Josephine stated, tying her scarves up a little tighter around her face. “Must be filled to the brim, fucking hell.”

Norville adjusted his scarf to sit a little higher.” Amani looked to Sasha, who was wrinkling her nose.

Poor girl.

They could feel the warm humidity wafting up from the depths. Norville pulled a map out of his pocket and waved Josephine over.

“We're going to take this route.” He trailed a path through the rooms with his finger, “While I'm sure you could find things we overlooked in theses rooms, I'd really rather not put us through this stench for any longer than I have to.”

Josephine shook her head.

“Just judging from the entrance to this hell hole, I don't think anything I find will have survived this place. I've been wrong before, but,” she grimaced, “I've not dealt with sewers this rank.”

“You've frequented sewers before?” Damian asked, a slight tease in his voice.

Josephine looked over and quirked an eyebrow.

“A lot of nobles toss incriminating valuables into sewers. I'd either sell them or use them for blackmail.” she stated.

“Alright, let's get going.” Norville interrupted, laughing a little.

Things were not so funny down in the Warrens. The entrance was a steep incline covered in such slimy refuse that Josephine nearly slipped right off the bat. Amani ended up having to help everyone but Sasha down.

The humidity made the stench so much worse. They tried their best to avoid stepping in the liquefied waste and rot, but in some hallways it was just unavoidable.

Josephine had snapped into raid mode and was scouring the walls, finding nothing.

“We're not going to find anything worthwhile in the halls.” She said, wading her way through a particularly deep patch of liquid rot. “Help me with this door.”

She was struggling with the slippery handle when something dripped onto her shoulder. Everyone followed her gaze upward and froze.

A rotting human torso had been crucified above it.

“What did you say was down here?” Amani asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Damian pushed past her and kicked in the door.

Inside they found a group of grotesque, fleshy creatures that looked a little too human for what they must have been.

Rotten, twisted swine.

Huddled around the mutilated corpse of what must have been a human at one point. Its ribs were picked nearly clean, and its face had been skinned.

A particularly emaciated swine man was currently stretching it over a crudely crafted drum.

They were more disgusted by the woman clad in black robes eating along with them.

Norville pulled out his cudgel.

“Don't try to cater to their humanity!” he shouted

Josephine scurried behind Damian.

“There's no humanity here.” She grimaced, snapping her fingers and blowing into her censer.

Blue mist quickly surrounded them before she covered the device with her sleeve, snuffing the flame out.

Damian breathed deeply and sighed, head raised to the ceiling.

He walked into the room, arms raised in an open invitation.

“What is he doing?” Josephine hissed.

The swine folk slowly started to rise from their meal; the woman grabbing a discarded sceptre.

Damian laughed softly.

The drummer struck his drum.

It was as if the entire Warrens had shook with its reverberations. Amani felt the vibrations run through her body and jostle her heart, stirring a primal fear within her.

It struck again and she took a knee.

A thin swine with a hooked hand and metal head rushed at Damian, swinging at his chest. He took it full force, sighing as the hook secured itself under his flesh.

Norville whistled and pointed to the drummer in the back. She rushed through the door, weaving through the legs of friend and foe alike to jump at the drummer's arms. She latched on firmly to its forearm and dragged it to the ground; blood gushing freely from a pierced vein.

The woman cackled as she rose her sceptre into the air. Blackness swirled and ebbed around her as something squirmed out from within it. A blue tentacle whipped out passed Damian to wrap around Josephine's waist. She screamed as she was dragged violently through the gore slicked floor, deeper into the room.

Amani launched herself off the door frame directly towards the woman, but was tackled by a pig they had failed to notice. They tumbled together across the floor. Amani scrambled to her feet first and started stabbing before she could truly grasp what had slammed into her.

It looked to be another hooked pig man that was fast becoming a pile of punctured meat.

She channeled her power into her stabs, but hesitated as she discovered something was wrong.

The venom wasn't as fast acting as usual, and some stabs seemed to not carry it at all.

Fine.

She put more brutal force into each thrust, piercing through its crude armour and deep into its flesh. It was a slower process, but just as effective.

Once blood had started to froth from its mouth, she bolted towards Josephine.

She was squirming in the tentacle's grasp, trying to reach for her kunai. She kneed it as hard as she could, causing it to flinch and give her an opening. She pulled out her knife and stabbed into its underside, getting lucky and striking a vein.

As it recoiled, she was able to push herself out of its grasp, falling to the floor.

A putrid, barely mobile stunted pig man that seemed to be wrapped in pulsating, human skin was lurching towards her. She had fallen prone on her stomach, and was quickly trying to crawl backwards to get away from it. It looked to be in excruciating pain; each step causing it to squeal and vomit all over itself, from both its swine head and the pulsating, human head of a tumor on its side.

Damian was nearly moaning as the hook handed swine pulled itself free of his chest, spraying blood all over itself. It stepped away and squealed as the blood started to seep into its skin, burrowing deep before exploding deep holes all over its body. It fell to the ground, twisting into a fetal position as it writhed and whined noisily.

Amani threw her spear clear across the room and into the witch, getting her deep in the ribs. She bent over and grabbed at the wound in a panic.

Amani then noticed the tiny putrid thing crawling towards Josephine.

She cursed and rushed to step between the two.

Damian got there first.

He swung down with a bloody flail right into the thing's back. It slammed down into a pool of its own vomit, and coughed up a bit of bile as Damian raked the flail across its back, its blood spraying out in an almost beautiful display.

Amani grabbed the back of Josephine's pack and pulled her to her feet.

She shoved her behind her; stance wide and shield raised high.

Josephine winced and grabbed at her ribs as she tried to stand up straight.

Sasha had managed to rip the drummer's arm off right below the elbow, and was thrashing it around viciously as the swine gripped at its bloody stump. Norville whistled and pointed towards the witch. She dropped the arm and went running across the room full speed.

The witch pulled the spear out of her ribs and threw it to the ground. She raised her sceptre to summon another tentacle, though it seemed to be summoned with haste. It was smaller and less powerful, but managed to smack Sasha in the face as she was midair in a lunge, sending her flying through the air and across the room with a whimper.

Damian kicked Amani's spear towards her as he rushed the witch. Amani scooped it up in one fluid motion and ran with him towards her.

He wrapped the flail around his arm and pulled hard, his blood spraying all over the three of them. The witch let out a shrill scream at the blood splashed on her, cutting her like shards of glass.

His arm started to mend, and he let out a noise that was somewhere between a moan and a whimper as the flesh knit back together. Amani stabbed out at the woman as she reeled, and managed to get her in the head, not quite piercing fully through the mask.

It didn't matter, as her venom was eroding its metal faster than the woman could take it off. Her hands started to eat away as she touched the mask; some of the venom traveling through her exposed flesh and into her veins.

Her screams were ungodly terrifying.

Damian wrapped his flail around her neck and tore out her throat just to make her stop.

Amani and Damian were panting heavily as the adrenaline wore off.

Amani looked to Josephine who was still wincing and holding her side.

“Allow me.” Damian said, squeezing one of the spiked ends of his flail until his hand was streaming blood. Josephine shot him a suspicious glance and stepped back.

“It's okay. A little weird, but okay.” Norville said, walking into the room.

Amani tried to keep herself from decking Damian in the face as he placed his bloodied hand on Josephine's ribs.

Josephine was looking at Damian like he was an absolute madman as the blood seeped into her expensive clothes and onto her flesh. Her expression changed to one of mild shock as he led her to stand tall, his other hand on the small of her back.

“Doesn't hurt anymore.” She said, clearly perplexed.

“The power of the Light runs through my veins. Through suffering, may its will be done.” he grinned savagely before letting her go.

She took a few more steps back at that.

“Can you find anything of use in here?” Norville asked Josephine. She cast a quick, disgusted glance around the room as Amani poked one of the slabs of meat hanging from a hook from the ceiling with her spear.

“No.” She said in irritation.

Norville shook his head.

“We're supposed to be here at least a day and a half yet. There's still a lot of ground to cover.” he sighed.

He already sounded exhausted. Sasha placed a paw on his leg.

\--

They popped their heads into a few more rooms without any more encounters, with Josephine only finding a bit of gold and questionable food, before the entered what looked like an alter room. The floor was relatively clean and filled with candles, iron bowls of burning coal and a few crude banners.

There were a few books laid out on the alter, protected from its grime by a thick cloth that was suspiciously clean. Josephine's eyes lit up as she saw it.

“Oh my god.” she whispered to herself as she nearly ran across the room. She scoured the covers before gently picking up one in the middle, bound in blue.

“This is a first edition, self bound by Roman von Kratt-” she looked over her shoulder to the other three in the room. “...Eros.” She finished quietly.

“I'm familiar with his work.” Damian said, sly grin on his face. Josephine scoffed.

“Of course you are.” she said to no one in particular.

“How valuable is it?” Norville asked. Josephine slid it carefully into a secret pouch in her tunic.

“If you find a book collector like me, it'll earn you more than the last haul we brought you. If you find a rich noble with..” she glanced over to Damian, “unique tastes, it'll earn you your whole damn Hamlet back.”

Norville's eyes gleamed. Josephine held out a hand, as if trying to stop his excitement.

“Unfortunately, you're gonna be hard pressed to find a buyer in this region. It would be better as a bribe for your Heir, depending.” she said, hand over her tunic defensively.

“Depending on what?” Damian asked.

“If he's the right kind of collector, with the right kind of tastes.” she answered.

Amani was curious.

“What so special about it, aside from its condition?” she asked.

Josephine and Damian looked at each other.

Josephine shook her head.

Damian nodded his.

“It's-”

“It's a bondage guide.” Damian interrupted, flashing Josephine a cheeky grin.

Josephine's face flushed red with anger.

“It's more than that! It's a psychological assessment-”

“It's got some diagrams on how to make tools as well.” Damian lifted his flail. “Made some modifications, but it was very helpful.”

Amani's eyes were wide in disbelief.

Norville held his forehead, as if trying to fight off a headache.

“Are any of the other books worth anything?” He asked.

“No, they're garbage.” Josephine answered, composure returned.

“Then let's keep going. If we have the energy to argue about books, we have the energy to explore a bit longer.”

\--

Josephine was having a really hard time finding things of worth down in the Warrens, and she was starting to get nervous. She knew there was a lot of pressure on her to match the value of her findings from her first expedition, and so far all she had found was gold, jewels and a valuable book who's worth was wasted in the Hamlet and the surrounding region.

Though as she was walking down the hallway, glancing around attentively, she spotted something at the end of the hallway.

“What is that, a statue?” she said more to herself than to the others.

It was a brownish red in colour, like most things in the Warrens, and it wearing a metal mask on its boar head.

It looked like it held crude javelins in a barrel on its back.

Josephine stopped and squinted.

It grabbed a javelin and took aim.

“To the walls!” she screamed, grabbing Amani and shoving her against the slimy stone.

Norville caught on quick and mimicked her, pressing himself flat against the wall; back sticking to its grime.

Damian was gored right through the left shoulder. He hissed loudly as he tried to fight the momentum to stay on his feet.

“Fuck.” Norville said, panic clear on his face.

“Rush it, quick!” Josephine shouted to him, before blowing blue mist into Sasha's face.

She perked up and growled.

Norville whistled and pointed down the hall, and Sasha was gone; smart enough to serpentine on her way to the skiver.

Something big rushed around the corner.

Something that looked like a hulking man attached to a grotesquely sized swine, right where its head should be. Chains and shields were wrapped around where they had been unnaturally fused together.

A large, flat arm fused with metal hung uselessly at its side as it adjusted a gigantic lance in the other.

“Get in a room!” Josephine screamed, voice shrill and panicked. Amani kicked the door beside them open while Norville slammed into the one next to him, taking it right off the hinges.

He turned around and reached out for Damian, who was still struggling to rip the javelin out of himself.

A rush of wind whipped Norville's hair about as the thing stampeded down the hall faster than he had thought possible, goring Damian right through his gut.

Damian grabbed onto the lance with both hands and skid across the floor along with the beast. His feet were rubbed raw by the rough dirt beneath them as he coughed up an alarming amount of blood all over himself.

He was laughing, or at least as much as his body was allowing him to.

Norville looked back and forth between Damian's dying form and Sasha, who had successfully weaved through the swinetaur's legs to launch at the skiver.

He didn't know what to do.

“Stay inside!” Josephine shouted from across the hall, gripping the door frame with shaking hands.

Norville stared at Sasha, who was ravaging the skiver's legs. It was bleeding profusely, but showed no reaction as it aimed another javelin at him. He was able to pull his head back in time to dodge it; the javelin grazing the tip of his nose. It hurt a little more than it should have.

He could feel it start to burn away.

“Shit!” He cursed as he fumbled with the sack of anti venom on his belt. He uncorked one and dumped it on his face, instantly feeling the liquid soothing the blight.

He had to take time to blink it out of his eyes.

Damian was trying to hold the swinetaur in place by holding its lance as steady as possible, using his entire body to his advantage. Intestines were spilling out of him and sprawling all over the weapon.

“Amani!” He shouted.

Amani gripped her spear, bent down and aimed at the thing's chest, stabbing hard to get through its tough hide. Her thrust landed in between its ribs and into its lung, collapsing it.

It squealed deeply and swung out with its useless arm. It slammed into Amani's face, throwing her backwards into Josephine.

Damian was working on shoving the lance out of his body, but gave up and decided to go the other way instead. He was smearing his innards all over the lance, laughing as they slipped and dangled to the sides.

Norville's eyes adjusted to see the excessive gore on the swinetaur's lance. The blood drained from his face as his knees buckled beneath him.

He fell to the ground, his ears ringing and his breath ragged, clutching the door frame for balance.

It was hard to hear, but someone was shouting at him to get up.

Damian let out a primal scream and squeezed his intestines. The tensed unnaturally around the lance; the force of them causing it shatter into useless scraps. Both he and the swinetaur staggered backwards away from each other; Damian struggling to shove his intestines back inside while the swinetaur struggled to breathe.

Josephine quickly placed Amani in the recover position and vaulted over her body to stand in the doorway. She pulled out her censer and blew into the flames, forcing the blue mist to spray over Damian.

She wasn't sure if it would do much good, but it would at least give him a final rush of energy to pull off whatever he was thinking of next.

She was sure he was going to die.

“Amani!' Damian called out, eyes locked on the swinetaur.

“She's out cold!” Josephine shouted back.

“Then you'll have to do.” He hissed, the blood around his mouth bubbling and foaming as he talked. “Distract it.”

Josephine scrambled through her pouches, cursing them for being so full of useless trinkets, until she found her smoke pellets.

She managed to throw them in the swinetaur's face just as it was getting ready to lunge at Damian. It squealed and reared back, clawing at its helmet as the smoke filtered inside it through the grating over its eyes.

Damian rushed in, grabbed as much of its waist as it could and screamed. A spray of blood exploded from within the smoke and splattered all over the walls, floor and ceiling. Damian took a few steps back out of the smoke, panting as his body shifted itself back together; guts slithering back into place with a sickening squelch. A javelin flew through the smoke and grazed past Damian's head, tearing his hood and getting caught in the iron spikes of his collar.

Josephine and Damian looked over their shoulders into the room holding Amani.

“Amani!” They both shouted.

Amani was quickly rising to her feet and shaking her head back into clarity. She shoved past Josephine and stumbled into the hallway, lined up across from the skiver. Sasha had torn its legs nearly to the bone, but the damn thing was still standing, raising an arm up to throw another javelin.

Amani blocked it with her shield, surprised by the power behind the throw.

She bolted down the hallway towards the swine, banking on getting to it before it could throw another javelin.

It threw one straight at her head, which she barely swatted away with her shield. She put all her force and momentum behind her thrust, aiming for its unarmoured neck.

It struck hard and deep, piercing all the way through and into the wall. She was unable to slow her momentum fast enough and collided with the thing; slamming them both into the wall as well.

It tried to squeal, but only managed to spit blood all over Amani's face.

She pulled her spear back, struggling to get it out of the wall, and let the thing fall lifeless to the ground. Sasha booked it over to Norville.

Amani looked to the three of them behind her. Damian was out of breath from forcing his body back together, Josephine was wide eyed and covered in someone's blood, and Norville was near catatonic on the floor; leaning against the door frame as Sasha was trying to get him to lie down to put her full weight on his chest.

Amani straightened her back and looked to them with authority.

“Pick a room and set up camp. We're done."


	9. Nightmare Scenario

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amani brings her past with her to the Warrens, and deals with her demons in the Hamlet
> 
> Norville is fast becoming a cause for concern. 
> 
> Josephine and Amani have a discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote a bunch of this, and then added more because I didn't think it was long enough to post as a single chapter. 
> 
> I had to cut out an entire scene I had planned because things fell off the rails and it's just not plausible anymore. Sometimes I feel like the story is telling me how to write it.
> 
> Also I'm trying to put less spoilers in the chapter description. AND I think I'll be throwing some wood on this slow burn soon ;)

They had ended up choosing the room Amani had kicked in, since the door was still usable. Amani had allocated Sasha and herself to addressing Norville, while tasking Damian and Josephine to set up camp.

Damian was sighing and panting with each movement, as if everything was too tender to move.

Josephine was shaken, but more or less managing.

Norville looked to be on the edge of death itself.

Sasha was pressing down on his chest as Amani held his head in her lap.

She had dealt with this before with some of the new harem girls, especially the ones who ended up rented out to war zones.

Shell shock.

But it was worse than anything she had seen before.

Sasha whined, which Amani took as a bad sign.

She patted Norville's cheek gently.

“Hey, Norville,” she spoke softly, “tell me something about yourself, hmm? What's your favourite colour?”

Right now the game was distraction.

Not that it was so simple, but she had to start somewhere.

She just needed to get him to function well enough to make it out of the Warrens in the morning. Anything after that she would have to leave to a professional.

She could see his eyes trying to focus out of their thousand yard stare.

“Try focusing on me.” Amani said slowly.

He blinked a few times.

“...gr..n” Norville tried to answer, but the words weren't coming out.

_Uh oh._

“How about your favourite flower?” Amani asked. 

“P...n.” He furrowed his brow and squeezed his eyes shut before blinking a few times to clear his vision.

Amani only saw this symptom in the worse cases.

Muteness. Sometimes temporary, sometimes not.

“How about we think about sitting up when you're ready. Take your time.” Amani instructed, though this seemed to be more in Sasha's control than either of theirs.

Josephine had eventually told Damian to sit down and let her set up camp by herself. He was moving too slowly and making too much noise. She couldn't tell if it was out of pain or pleasure, but either way it was starting to get unnerving.

He sat on the ground and looked over to Norville and Amani, who had just started to help Norville into a sitting position. He seemed to have regained a little colour in his face, but not much.

“Was this my fault?” He asked Josephine. She looked over from the fire she was trying to start using some of her herbs as kindling.

“If we were going to waste time blaming anyone, I'd say it's all on that...” she gestured wildly in the air with both hands, “Swinetaur thing. I still don't understand how you're still alive.”

“Through me, the Light's will be done.” he said, blissful smile upon his face, “The more I suffer, the more power it grants me.”

Josephine pursed her lips.

“Well, either way; what's done is done. We'll worry about the consequences when we're back at the Hamlet.” She turned back to the campfire to set up their kettle.

Shortly after, Amani and Sasha led Norville to sit with them by the fire. He seemed to be doing a bit better.

Josephine had prepared the soup, but no one had much of an appetite.

The stench of refuse and rotting meat was too strong to ignore, but they had to at least try to get something down.

Damian stared at Amani as she picked at her food.

“You know, I hunt your kind.” he said casually. Amani twisted her head towards him with a look of both shock and rage.

Josephine, who had naturally picked a spot beside her, spat out her food and dropped her bowl to the ground. It dribbled down her chin as she looked at Damian with disbelief.

He smiled and tapped on his teeth.

“You're remarkably docile around humans. Normally all this spilled, fresh blood would drive you wild.” He laughed maliciously. “Take care to tame your urges, or I will be forced to show you the will of the Light!”

Amani glared at him while she tried to put the pieces together.

Teeth, fresh blood.

Urges.

He was a Vampire hunter.

She would have laughed, but now she was worried about how many people in the Hamlet must have come to the same conclusion as him. Other than Junia, a lot of the people she'd talked to either didn't notice or care, so far as she knew.

She looked over to Josephine, who's eyes had glazed over as a flush filled her cheeks; mind clearly somewhere else.

_Or did they?_

_\--_

The first thing that registered was the burning sand beneath her body. Amani struggled to her feet; the hot desert sun beaming too strongly on her exposed skin.

To her left, the beginning of her tormented freedom lay shattered in the sand. To her right, an empty and vast wasteland.

A large, two headed snake rose from the sand, some of which caught in the molted skin around one of its necks. She could hear rattling from somewhere she couldn't place.

“We've found you!” the heads hissed in unison.

Amani screamed.

There was barking.

“What the fuck is that!?” She heard Josephine squeak shrilly. Amani whipped her head around and saw her scramble for her knife and censer from her place on the ground. Damian had thrown himself onto his feet from his back in one fluid motion.

Norville had quickly jumped to his feet; face pale with his cudgel in hand.

_What?_

“Oh, this is new.” Damian laughed as he whipped himself in the back.

Amani turned around to face the snake.

It looked angry.

“It's time to take back what's ours.” the heads said, voices a low rumble.

She felt the cool mist from Josephine's censor on her back.

Amani slipped her foot under her spear and kicked it up off the ground and into her hand.

Damian rushed past her and straight at the Adder. One of its heads struck out and lodged its fangs into the junction between neck and shoulder. He gripped onto the fang in his neck and started pulling.

Josephine had motioned for Norville and Sasha to wait. She was casting her gaze over the sands beneath them, looking carefully. She saw sand shift without causation; the motion heading towards Amani.

She threw her smoke pellets on the ground.

A cobra hissed as the smoke revealed its location; shaking its head to get the sting of smoke from its eyes.

Sasha worked on scooping the thing up and ravaging it with her teeth; thrashing her head wildly as the cobra hissed and shrieked.

A rattle snake burst from the sand and slapped the cobra out of Sasha' mouth.

The snake head not engaged with Damian bristled, forcing quills through its scales. It coiled back before thrashing its head forward, launching the quills at Amani.

She threw up her shield arm on instinct.

The quills pierced her flesh in rapid succession, removing all function as it fell to her side, completely paralyzed. She could feel her shoulder sag as the left side of her body started to tingle.

The blood running down her arm was absorbed into the sand, creating a mud beneath it.

Josephine was slashing at the rattle snake as it kept lunging at her, preventing her from filling her censer with the rotten herbs for her poison mist.

Norville, switching into fight or flight, rushed the rattle snake and bopped it hard on the head with his cudgel. It swayed slowly and tried to slither away from him, but he swung again, slamming its head into the ground with a wet splat.

Josephine dropped her rotten herbs in the sand and struggled to pull a different blend from her pouches while Norville and Sasha covered her from the cobra. She crushed them into the censer, and almost immediately the smell of an herb garden wafted around her.

She ran behind Amani with a refreshing green cloud surrounding her form.

“Breathe!” she hissed.

Amani took a shuddering breath and felt the feeling come back into her left side. She rolled her shoulder and stomped her foot to speed up the process.

Damian had managed to get a firm hold on the molting snake head's fang, and tore it right out of its gums. It reared back, screeching and spitting venom all over itself. Damian wiped the splattered blood and venom off his face and flicked it onto the ground.

The inside of its mouth started to peel. The discarded skin flopped onto its tongue, and it spat it out as a wet heap, revealing the gums to have already grown over its empty socket.

Amani took aim with her spear and threw it through its mouth and out its head, splattering its blood out like a fountain. It fell limp beside the other head, who was suddenly burdened with its dead weight.

It struggled a moment to balance itself out before hissing and lunging past Damian toward Amani. Damian struck out hard with his flail, embedding its spiked ends through its scales. The snake's own momentum caused the flail to drag across its flesh, blood and scales spraying in its wake.

Amani screamed as its head slammed into hers with enough force to send her staggering into Josephine behind her.

Sasha, having torn the cobra shreds, looked to Norville to perform a wellness check.

He was breathing heavily; more so that his physical efforts should have lead to. She started barking at him, trying to get him to focus on her.

Josephine had managed to keep both her and Amani upright by shoving against her as she fell. She pushed Amani back onto her feet proper. The last head of the two headed snake hissed loudly at her.

“We will take it back yet.” it spat with a brutal rage in its eyes.

Damian punched right through its temple, spraying them all with its blood.

A strong wind blew across them, slowly blowing the sand and snakes away into nothingness, leaving them standing back in the warrens.

Norville tried to say something with his muted voice.

Damian was laughing a bit too maniacally, doing their nerves no favours.

Josephine rushed over to Norville and held out her hands.

“Anti venoms, now.” She said in a panic. He handed her the bag silently; his gaze not meeting anything. Sasha slapped at his leg a few times to try and bring him back.

“Take two for you an Sasha.” Josephine said as she shoved two bottles into his arms. She turned around and threw one at Damian, who let it crash to the ground at his feet.

She rushed over to Amani to dump a bottle over her arm.

“Are you okay?” she asked in a panic, but paused when she saw Amani's face.

She was sobbing.

\--

Josephine was forced to take charge. Amani had stopped crying but was now so on edge that she was having a hard time focusing, and Damian was too busy laughing and whipping himself to be of any help. Norville was near catatonic. She used some of the rope from the bedrolls to wrap around his arm and gave the end of it to Sasha.

She abandoned their camping gear.

The expedition was a complete failure.

She hissed at Damian to keep quiet before the swine found them.

She was barely able to get her arm up in time to block the flail aimed at her face.

“I must share my gift of suffering; can you not hear the Light ask this of me?” He cried out.

Amani punched him square in the nose, feeling it crumple beneath her fist.

He did not retaliate.

Josephine had to rely on Sasha's nose to lead them away from the swine, and her own excellent sense of direction to get them all out of there alive. Josephine was terrified that every slosh of their feet through the muck would give them away, or that their ragged breathing was loud enough to lead the pig men directly to them.

Holding Amani's hand was for both their benefits.

They were able to get to the exit just as a torturous cacophony of drumming started echoing from deep within the sewer, causing them to jolt with every single strike.

When they were halfway to the Hamlet, Josephine let go of Amani's hand, fell to her knees and screamed.

\--

Josephine's meltdown had shocked Amani; so much so that she couldn't focus on anything else. She picked her up and carried her, despite Josephine being completely capable of walking on her own.

It reminded Amani of how Tardif carried Dismas after their first expedition.

She hoped they weren't starting a tradition.

Sasha was walking Norville as if they had reversed roles, and Damian had more or less returned to his senses, only whipping himself occasionally. 

Amani and Josephine were surprised to see Tardif jogging towards them, meeting them a few meters out of town, where the dirt path turned to stone.

He looked over all of them before settling his gaze on Amani, who looked down to Josephine.

“It was worse.” She said with a hoarse voice, flopping her head back to stare at the sky, “So much worse.”

Tardif offered to take Josephine, but Amani refused to hand her over.

“Your arm is bleeding.” he said, pointing to her shield arm. It was currently trickling down her elbow to drip to the dirt path below her.

“I'm fine.” she said.

“No you're not! Put me down before I end up hurting you.” Josephine interjected, voice cracking as she looked up at Amani in shock.

“You won't hurt me.” Amani whispered to her.

“Your eye...” Josephine said breathlessly. Amani's furrowed her brow in confusion. She looked to Tardif.

He said nothing.

Boudica and Barristan came jogging down the path towards them.

Sasha pulled Norville up to the front to bring attention to him.

Barristan took the rope from her.

“Dear god, what happened down there?” He asked, expression one of concern.

Norville blinked a few times, but otherwise didn't react.

Barristan looked to the group covered in blood, sand and refuse.

“We can explain later; take care of him first.” Amani said, gesturing to Norville with her chin.

Barristan grabbed Norville's arm and started leading him to the Hamlet with help from Sasha.

“I can take her.” Boudica reached out for Josephine.

“NO!” Amani shouted, twisting to guard Josephine with her body. It shocked everyone.

Including herself.

Boudica put her hand on Amani's shoulder.

“Fine, I won't take her.” she said, squeezing it gently, “but if you keep holding her, your arms are going to give out.”

Amani hadn't noticed how hard her arms were shaking.

She reluctantly put Josephine down.

Tardif snorted.

Boudica took a good hard look at them.

All of them were absolutely caked in dried blood; Damian being the worst of them. Josephine's robes were so disgusting that their original colour was impossible to see, and the parts of Amani that weren't covered in blood and waste were covered in bruises.

“You need to go to the Warren Baths before anything can be done with you.”

\--

The Warrens had gained a reputation for being so disgusting, that it was decided a separate bath house be constructed for the purpose of washing those who returned from them.

There were four large barrels, each separated by crude wood walls and curtains, and a smaller barrel was placed in each one for laundry. Basic tunics, leggings and boots were provided as temporary replacements, depending if their clothing could be salvaged or not.

Barristan had already claimed a barrel to start washing Norville and Sasha in, but the rest of them had to wait while their own barrels filled with hot water.

Damian had already stripped down to throw his clothes in the laundry barrel, seemingly having no problem being naked around strangers. No one was really in the mood to make a fuss about it.

Josephine undressed very carefully, handing her valuables to Boudica, who she was using as a clean pair of hands.

“Do you need help washing as well?” Boudica asked. She meant nothing by it, but it made Josephine go red regardless.

“Just take care of my things. Run them to the barracks and CAREFUL!” She shouted, partially reaching out towards a pouch in Boudica's hand, “That is very rare and in pristine condition. Please be very careful with it.”

Boudica laughed.

“You city folk, always so worried about your belongings.” She shot her a wink. “I'll be careful.”

Amani had removed her helmet to fuss with her hairband before she caught sight of a crude mirror hanging in the corner by the bath.

Josephine had said something about her eye.

She stepped into the privacy of the ramshackle bath and took a quick look at her face.

Her cheek was bruised from the Swinetaur's powerful slap yesterday, and her forehead was remarkably less swollen than she expected from the Adder's headbutt earlier.

But there was something wrong with her right eye.

At first she thought it was infected, but it didn't hurt and it wasn't oozing.

She wiped some of the fog off the mirror to get a better look.

Half of her iris was a bright gold.

_Like a snake_

She recoiled from the mirror and bumped into the bath behind her.

This wasn't right.

She started trying to work it out in her head.

Every time she woke to a change in her body, it had been after a nightmare, but not every nightmare had produced a change.

She had been having more nightmares than normal since coming to the Hamlet, and she was using her power more frequently.

She must change in the night after using her power.

Amani pinched the bridge of her nose; a sudden headache taking over.

There was more to this. Something she was missing.

The nightmares had followed her into the Warrens to become manifest.

And they dragged her companions in with her.

She tensed up, losing her train of thought.

_I could have gotten them all killed._

She stood vacantly as thoughts of what could have happened flooded into her mind.

What if the snakes had gotten to them before they woke up?

What if she had to cut something off to save them?

Amani vomited all over herself.

“Are you okay?” She heard Josephine shout from the other side of their shared wall.

Amani wiped her mouth with her arm, smearing the vomit all over herself.

She listened to Barristan's calming voice and Damian's pained gasps as she caught her breath.

_Everyone's still alive_

“Yeah....yeah I'm okay.” Amani answered.

\--

The curtain to Josephine's bath was violently opened as she was halfway dressed in her tunic.

She screamed

“Shut up, it's me.” Paracelsus said, completely deadpan.

She threw up her hand to block the fist aimed at the side of her head.

She looked at Amani, who had rushed out of her section of the bath house to defend Josephine.

“Stop it. I'm a Doctor.” she told Amani, voice just as emotionless. “Actually, get in there with her; it'll make things easier for me.”

She grabbed Amani by the wrist and shoved her in with Josephine, before following her and closing the curtain behind them.

“Alright, show me where it hurts.” she said, plopping her doctor's kit next to her on the floor.

Josephine extended the arm Damian had ravaged. It was shred in three places on the forearm, one strip extending a little farther around the arm than the other two. Paracelsus clicked her tongue.

“Again?” She said to herself, opening her pack for bandages and ointment. She made quick work of patching Josephine up, impressing her with both her skill and speed.

She made Sarmenti's already shoddy bandaging skills look like a joke.

Paracelsus poked and prodded at her a little before moving on to Amani.

“Oh lucky, I get to see the removal scars.” She said to herself as she dug through her kit.

Amani almost recoiled at the statement, but tried to remember she was dealing with a medical professional.

Paracelsus had Josephine hold a bag out for her as she used tweezers to remove the smaller quills that were still stuck in Amani's arm.

“I didn't know we had anything with quills down in the Warrens.” She said as she worked.

Josephine shook her head.

“It came from a desert, from within the Warrens.” She sighed, “like a magical...moving ecosystem. It was gone once we killed everything in it.”

Amani tensed as Paracelsus stopped her work to look at Josephine.

“This is from a desert creature?” She asked, waving a quill around with her tweezers.

“More a monster than creature, but yeah.” Josephine answered.

“I've no interest in arguing semantics, Antiquarian.” Paracelsus said, returning to her work. “But if you come across another mobile desert, bring me more samples.” she dropped the last quill into the sack Josephine held for her and moved on to sterilizing and wrapping Amani's wounds.

She paused to get a good look at Amani's wrist.

She hummed to herself in disappointment and finished her wrap job.

“You should be fine. If you get fever or infection, come find me.” Paracelsus said as she gathered everything into her kit.

She then casually threw the curtain open and walked away.

“No bedside manner, that one.” Josephine muttered.

Amani looked down to her and was distracted by the oversized tunic sliding down her shoulder.

The one Josephine wore under her robes and scarves was also too big for her.

Amani reached out and adjusted it without thinking; brushing the tips of her fingers along Josephine's skin as she pushed the collar back in place.

Josephine quivered and sighed at the touch.

She then slapped her hands over her mouth as a blush formed all the way into her ears.

Amani and Josephine silently stared at each other for longer than was comfortable.

Someone else drew the curtain back, causing Josephine to shriek again.

“Is alright! I've just come for your clothes! Ain't nothing I haven't seen before!” A painted woman laughed as she collected their clothing to put into her basket. “It's laundry day at the brothel; perfect time to be coming back from the Warrens.”

Amani froze.

“Brothel?” she asked, the colour draining from her face. Josephine's looked between the two women with worry.

“Oh yous didn't know about the Brothel? Yeah it shares a building with the tavern. Door's on the other side.” The woman put the basket down and put her hands on her hips, ready to keep talking, but stopped when she saw Amani's face.

She looked traumatized.

Josephine grabbed her hand.

“Why don't you go to the barracks and I'll have a talk with this lady here, okay?” she said calmly.

Amani nodded her head and left.

\--

Amani didn't know how she missed it.

A brothel, here of all places. A small, shitty Hamlet out in the middle of nowhere.

Where did the girls come from? Were they considered property?

Did she need to intervene?

She cradled her head as she sat on her bed.

The woman seemed cheery enough, but she couldn't go off that.

_Make sure to keep smiling. You're not gonna make us any money if people think you don't want to be here._

She looked up as Josephine opened the door.

Her expression was serious, but determined.

“Okay,” she started, choosing to walk over and sit next to Amani, “she explained the whole business to me. Do you want to hear it?”

Amani nodded. She needed to know.

“So, everyone who works there wants to be there; they sought the work out themselves. They set their own hours, have their own rules, and have body guards working the halls. If a client tries something, they get thrown out, banned, shit kicked out of them, so on and so forth.” Josephine said, waving her hands around as she talked. “They also do the laundry because they're skilled at getting stains out, or so she said.”

Amani let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Josephine turned to look at her.

“I know.” she said.

“You do?” Amani said more than asked, a small humorless smile on her lips.

“I recognized your badlah. My master had dealings with the Vizier; I saw the same one on some of the women there.” Josephine answered. She paused a moment. “It's...prettier, when someone's wearing it because they want to.”

Amani sat up a bit taller.

“Were you asking me about it because you were worried about me?” She asked.

Josephine nodded. She was chewing her lip nervously.

“You're strong enough that I shouldn't have worried, but I couldn't help it. I just think about you a lot.” Josephine froze at her own words, face going red.

“You do?” Amani asked, suddenly very curious.

“I mean, we ended up sticking...working together since the stagecoach incident, and we share living quarters and a bed...once.” Josephine said, trying not to look at Amani. “And you're very kind to put up with my cold hands.”

“It's not putting up with it if I don't mind.” Amani said, grabbing one of Josephine's hands off the bed and rubbing her thumb along the back of it.

Josephine looked up at her, eyes wide and face still flushed.

Amani was picking up on something here.

Something she wanted to explore.

Sarmenti burst through the door, scaring Josephine right into Amani's lap.

“Barriston's asking for you all at the church.” He said grimly.


	10. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josephine decides she's sick of feeling left in the dark and decides drill Barristan on the Heir. 
> 
> Amani is confronted in the tavern, and Josephine confronts back.
> 
> And the girls find a way to de-stress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently when I said I was going to add some tinder to the slow burn, I meant I was going to accidentally drop half a log soaked in kerosene and shrug my shoulders as it burst into flames. 
> 
> Also I promise I don't hate Reynald; I've got stuff planned for him yet, so long as I don't accidentally veer off course again.

Sarmeni walked with them partway to the church, but waved them off as he went to the sanitarium.

“I'm needed here.” He said, sliding his mask back into place.

They were greeted by a thin, balding priest at the door, who led them to the flagellation hall where Barristan was waiting.

Damian was seated in the corner, flogging himself.

“How is he?” Amani asked, referring to Norville. Barristan sighed heavily.

“Not good. Paracelsus took a look, and physically he's fine but...” he paused, looking nowhere in particular, “it's a problem with the mind.”

“Is he talking at all?” she continued. Barristan shook his head.

“What happened down there?” he asked.

“A few new beasts.” Damian said from the corner, striking himself casually, “exposed a little too much of my insides.”

They paused to listen to the wet slap of studded leather on his rend flesh.

“All of them.” Josephine added, going pale at the memory.

Damian's entire digestive system gored and torn, spilling out and throbbing around a splintering lance.

He was really underselling the incident.

“Wasn't worth the trip.” Damian continued.

Barristan stood silent.

“It was....it was brutal.” Josephine said, trying not to tear up.

Amani placed her hand on her shoulder.

“I've had Norville committed for now. Sarmenti will be helping tend to him; he has a way of soothing the mind.” Barritan said, expression grim.

Amani nodded. She remembered Sarmenti mentioning he had soothed Tardif to sleep after their Ruins expedition.

“What should we do now?” Josephine asked, clutching to Amani.

She was showing more weakness than usual.

“I need everything you managed to salvage.” Barristan answered.

“I'm afraid it's not an impressive haul,” Josephine said, expression stern, “and I have half a mind not to hand it over.”

Damian scoffed.

“There would be consequences.” Barristan said quietly, eye going dark.

Josephine squeezed Amani a little tighter.

“Fine.” She huffed. “I'll bring them to you at the tavern later. I need to discuss this Heir with you anyway.”

\--

They headed back to the barracks to go through what Josephine had managed to find down in the Warrens. Apparently an 'impressive haul' meant something different to her.

But she felt guilty. She didn't think she had found enough to make up for the suffering they had endured.

She'd never suffered so badly for so little.

She met with Barristan at the meeting table while Amani secured them another spot across the tavern.

She was watching them intently.

“Tell me about the Heir.” Josephine said as Barriston went through her findings. He clicked his tongue.

“If I could pick a word to describe him it would be...unhinged.” he said, tapping his finger on the table. “He...he's engrossed with his self inflicted task of fixing the land; his ancestor's mistakes.”

“What of his personality?” Josephine pressed.

“I don't know that he has one anymore. It's just madness incarnate when I talk to him.”

“You mentioned that he has blackmail on most of the people here.” Josephine stated. Barriston nodded.

“If not that, he knows what breaks our hearts; harms our psyches.” he said.

“How?” Josephine wasn't giving him a moment to think.

“He's...” Barriston floundered, “tapping into the evil here to do it somehow. Drawing power like his ancestor before him, but I think he thinks it's for the greater good.”

“How do you know all of this?” Josephine asked, continuing to drill him.

“Some of it he's told me, some of it I've figured out on my own. Things weren't always so dreadful with him.” Barriston said, gathering up the loot. “I better get this to him before he starts to get impatient.”

“When will he be done with us?” Josephine asked as he stood.

“I don't know; I'm not privy to everything.” Barriston paused, sucking on his teeth in thought. “Not anytime soon, I would suspect.”

He left with a slight drag in his step.

Josephine felt bad for him.

She waited until he had left before joining Amani.

“Well, the Heir sounds like a maniac.” Josephine said, taking the drink Amani was passing her.

“I wouldn't call you wrong.” Sarmenti said, intercepting the drink and downing it. Josephine looked at him, clearly offended. He took a seat.

“How are things with Norville?” Amani asked. Sarmenti exhaled a laugh.

“Worst case I've dealt with so far.” he answered, signalling to the barkeep for four more drinks.

He brought over four very generously filled glasses of whisky.

“These ones on the house today; heard your outing was rough.” he said, tone sympathetic. Amani thanked him as he left.

Sarmenti distributed the drinks around the table, leaving one in the middle.

“That one's for whoever.” he said.

People started filtering into the tavern for the evening, shooting curious or sympathetic glances their way as they passed.

A suit of armour paused at their table to look at Amani.

“You shouldn't have come here, devil.” He said, deep voice echoing from within his helmet.

Amani quickly rose to her feet, toppling her chair.

“And why is that, Crusader?” she said, spitting his title out like venom.

Sarmenti sat up higher in his chair, alarmed by the sudden development.

“Don't think I haven't-”

“Sit. Down.” Josephine interrupted, gaze directed towards the Crusader.

He paused.

Sarmenti looked over the three of them, equal parts intrigued and concerned.

Josephine's calm demeanor belied a seething rage that terrified him.

Amani picked her chair back up and sat down.

So did the Crusader.

“Name.” she commanded.

“Reynald.” he answered, voice losing its confidence.

“What are you doing, Reynald?” Josephine started, her voice strict.

“I-”

“What are you doing lashing out at others, Reynald? Is it your guilt complex?” she said harshly.

“I don't have a guilt complex.” he said defensively.

“Why are you not with your regiment?”

He went silent.

“Why have you left them, Reynald?” Josephine said, voice going low and dark

Everyone at the table felt a shiver run up their spine.

“What did you do?”

Reynald stood up and left the tavern.

They all silently watched the door swing shut behind him.

“You're horrifying!” Sarmenti laughed as he threw his feet onto the table.

Tardif snorted as he sat down next to him, apparently waiting for the seat to be vacant.

Josephine nodded as she took a sip of her drink.

Sarmenti pushed the fourth glass of whisky over to Tardif with his foot.

“Gang's all here.” the Jester said as Tardif picked up his glass.

Amani looked to Josephine, absolutely flabbergasted.

“You...” she said, at a loss for words.

“You don't deserve shit from that mess of a man.” Josephine spat, looking towards the door.

“Oh Reynald's a real mess all right.” Sarmenti added, half paying attention as he eyed up Tardif, who was bringing his glass under his veiled mask to drink from.

Tardif grunted in agreement.

“When are you gonna let me see your face?” Sarmenti asked him.

“Get off my dick.” Tardif said curtly. Sarmenti clicked his tongue.

“I can't get off it if you won't let me on it in the first place.” he said with a small smirk.

Tardif spat all over himself and Josephine howled with laughter. Sarmenti chuckled as he looked at Tardif, gazing at him with a teasing lust.

Amani took a sip of her own drink, trying to figure out if Sarmenti was a lightweight or if he just had no filter.

It felt weird to be drinking and joking around after two days of fighting rancid swine and monstrous snakes; especially considering one of them was confined to the sanitarium until further notice.

She looked over her drinking companions.

Tardif shaking his hands free of whisky, likely debating whether he should remove his soiled mask or keep it on out of stubbornness.

Sarmenti watching him intently, waiting for his next move.

Josephine's face flushed red as she laughed maybe a bit too hard, hand gently covering her mouth.

They needed this.

Josephine looked to Amani, still chuckling a bit.

_Oh hell, since there's already flirting at the table._

Amani decided to test a theory of hers.

She kept strong eye contact as she parted her lips slowly, licking them gently before taking her time to run her tongue along her fangs; sliding it back into her mouth as she flashed Josephine a smile.

Josephine's breath hitched as her eyes drifted to her mouth.

_Someone has a fetish_

Amani gently bit her lip, deciding to tease her a little more.

Josephine shifted in her seat.

Sarmenti hummed.

They both looked over to him; Josephine looking like she had been caught doing something heinous.

Tardif had decided to take his mask off after all. Sarmenti was admiring his strong jaw, light stubble and thick, messy brown hair. He looked to be in his late thirties or Early forties. 

He was tensing his jaw and looking at Sarmenti, who was smiling at him deviously.

Tardif looked like a fish out of water.

“Real shame, covering that face of yours.” Sarmenti said.

Tardif sucked his teeth in irritation; now trying to look anywhere but at Sarmenti.

Josephine looked back over to Amani.

“Should we leave?” Amani mouthed, quirking up an eyebrow.

Josephine shrugged, holding up her drink and sloshing it around.

“This is expensive; we should at least be polite and finish it.” She whispered.

They didn't break eye contact as they both took a sip.

\--

Josephine and Amani both ended up leaving before Tardif and Sarmenti. Tardif did start loosening up after getting through more of his drink, but even with his face exposed, he was still hard to read.

Sarmenti was not.

Despite Sarmenti being an excellent flirt, mixing brashness perfectly with playful teasing, Amani did not want to stick around to watch.

It felt dirty.

They went back to the barracks. Josephine went straight to work setting up a fire.

She was flushed all the way down her shoulders, which were mostly exposed in her borrowed tunic.

She looked so small and delicate.

Josephine threw some of her herbs into the fire and snapped her fingers.

The smell of whatever was burning was clearing Amani's head.

“What is that?” she asked. Josephine inhaled deeply.

“Just a small healing spell of mine. Found out a few years ago that it sobers you up.” she laughed, “I don't want a hangover in the morning.”

Amani watched Josephine's shoulders tense up as she laughed, wincing slightly.

A barely noticeable reaction, but Amani caught it.

“Do your shoulder's hurt?” She asked.

“Ah, they're a little sore.” Josephine smiled sheepishly, “Downside of being a pack rat.”

Amani hummed in thought.

“Let me see.” she said, patting beside her on her bed.

Josephine's flush deepened.

She nodded as she sat next to Amani, who turned her to get a good look at her back.

She gently brushed Josephine's hair over to the left side of her neck to expose the right. She started by running her palm down the side of her neck and over her shoulder.

Josephine melted at the touch, sighing quietly. Amani reversed and repeated her action.

“There's only so much I can do with one hand.” She chuckled quietly. Josephine went to say something, but was interrupted by Amani's thumb pressing down and dragging firmly between her neck and shoulder.

A small gasp came out instead.

“Am I hurting you?” Amani asked, pressing down a little harder to illustrate what she meant. 

“Nn-ahh...no.” Josephine gasped out. Her hands went slack in her lap.

Her eyes fluttered shut as Amani worked small circles into her, slowly going up her neck.

_Sensitive..._

Josephine's lips parted as Amani dug into the base of her skull, right behind her ear.

She made her way to the back of Josephine's neck, sliding her hand up to thread in her hair. Josephine leaned back, relaxing into her touch.

Amani gently tugged on her hair, rolling her head to the right. Josephine's hair cascaded down around Amani's wrist to expose the left side of her neck.

Josephine was on the very edge of moaning; near silent whimpers passing her lips.

Amani couldn't help herself.

She leaned in and bit firmly, shifting her teeth as she pressed down.

The noise Josephine made was downright sinful.

Amani's breath faltered as a heat rushed through her entire body.

She added a bit more pressure and groaned into Josephine, digging in with her bottom teeth. She got a better grip on Josephine, with her shield arm around her torso, pressed up just under her breasts.

_What am I doing?_

Josephine was mewling; absolutely lost to the feeling of Amani on her neck.

Amani let off some pressure to allow room for her tongue. Her lips grazed her neck as she licked languidly at her pulse. She pulled Josephine a little closer, taking the full weight of her breasts on her injured arm.

It stung.

She started moaning into Josephine, getting more desperate with her bites.

She was getting sloppy, and somewhere in the back of her mind she worried she might break skin.

Josephine's noises were too much for her. She was both vocal and quiet; she wasn't getting much louder than a whimper, but they wouldn't stop coming.

Amani needed more.

She bit down hard, a hair's breadth away from breaking skin.

Josephine whined in a way that made Amani stir.

The pain in her arm started becoming unbearable.

She pulled away from Josephine; making sure to drag her teeth slowly along her flesh as she did so.

They were both panting hard.

Josephine was drooling.

There was a gory mess right under Josephine's breasts; blood seeping into the raw wool of her tunic and blossoming across the front of it.

Amani had torn open her wounds.

\--

It took Josephine a while to come down from her high, and when she did she was an absolute mess.

She was overstimulated; shivering at even the shifting of her tunic on her body. Her hair was tousled around her face, which was the reddest Amani had ever seen it, and even as quiet as she was, her voice was shot.

She could only speak in an airy, breathless tone.

Amani was hoping she could sleep that off, seeing as Josephine used the power of her voice as a weapon near daily.

Josephine's neck was a disaster.

Some of the bites were starting to bruise, a testament to Amani's failed self control, and they were so dense that would assuredly all bleed together, making them impossible to cover or explain away before they could pick up her scarves from the laundry the next day.

And even then, they went up to her jaw.

And Amani was sure that connecting the bloody tunic with her blood soaked bandages wouldn't be too big a stretch.

Amani cupped Josephine's face and wiped the drool off her chin with her thumb. Josephine quivered at the touch.

“I...got carried away.” She said, moving her thumb to Josephine's lips, pressing on her lip ring. “I caught on to your...tastes and...”

Josephine gently bit her thumb, a look of embarrassment on her face as she looked away from Amani.

_I wanted to make you feel good._

“I hope I didn't overstep.” Amani said instead. Josephine continued worrying on Amani's thumb as she tried to think of a response.

“No,” she said, “but if we start acting awkward around each other I'm going to get mad. I like being around you.” Her soft, airy voice soothed Amani's nerves.

“I like being around you too.” she said softly. They smiled warmly at each other.

Josephine pursed her lips.

“I don't think your eye is injured; it doesn't look bad. Does it hurt?” she asked.

Amani had forgotten about her newly acquired heterochromia.

“No” She answered. “Doesn't seem to be concerning anyone either.”

“I think everyone's come to the same conclusion I did, which was that it was some kind of infection.” Josephine said, looking at Amani's eye, “But I've been staring at it all night, and it's too...clear. Bright. Like perfectly shaved gold on chocolate.”

Josephine laughed nervously and looked away, shrinking in on herself.

_Quite a comparison_

“...my body's changing. I don't know why just yet.” Amani said.

It wasn't entirely true; she had a working theory, but didn't want to go into the details.

“A curse?” Josephine asked, genuinely concerned.

_A curse._

“Maybe.” Amani said.

Josephine removed Amani's hand from her face and held it in her lap, caressing it with both hands.

She looked down at her tunic.

“Is this from your arm?” She asked, referring to the blood she was covered in. She let go of Amani's hand to take a look at her injured arm.

Amani grimaced.

Josephine frowned.

“Go find Paracelsus; someone at the tavern probably knows where she is.” she said, clearly worried.

Amani nodded; giving Josephine's thigh a small squeeze before she got off the bed to leave.


	11. Troublesome Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amani's arm is healing strangely, and the religious are starting to suspect she's not what she seems. 
> 
> Josephine and Amani visit Norville
> 
> Barriston calls for a troublesome town meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to start doing a bare minimum of a weekly update, depending on how things are going. I've been pretty busy the last few days. If I feel particularly inspired, I'll do more. 
> 
> I'm sorry if this chapter isn't too exciting/long. It's more of a set up for the next "arc", if you will. 
> 
> And I think I should mention that Sarmenti was not supposed to be an important part of this story but he just kinda wormed his way into his current position.   
> And if you were wondering, I head cannon Sarmenti as French.

When Amani entered the tavern, she found that Tardif and Sarmenti had left. She scanned the room, looking for someone she recognized. Damian, Reynald and Junia were all sitting together at a small table in the back, and at the table next to them sat Boudica and the blonde woman Amani had seen playing cards with Paracelsus a few days before.

Amani figured that would be the best place to ask.

She walked towards the two, who were engrossed in conversation.

The religious table looked like they were having a very serious conversation as well.

Amani noticed that Junia was looking a little better.

She caught a bit of their conversation as she walked by.

“It's not normal; humans don't have fangs.” Reynald said, looking at Damian. Junia nodded in agreement.

“This is your division, Damian.” she said. “What do you think?”

Damian took a sip of his drink.

“Last night I would have agreed, but her eyes are turning the wrong colour. Not buggy enough.” he paused, “Might just be like Bigby.”

They noticed Amani was within earshot a little too late.

Junia looked away in a hurry, and Reynald might have been staring at her from behind his helmet.

Damian looked her up and down pointedly, pausing to look at her bloodied arm, and gave her a nod.

He didn't appear to be ashamed of gossiping about her.

Amani looked to Reynald.

_“You don't deserve shit from that mess of a man.”_

She chose to walk away.

Boudica saw her as she came in behind the Blonde woman.

“Your arm looks like shit.” She said with absolutely no nuance. The blonde turned around to look.

“Are you going to need Paracelsus, babe?” She asked. Amani nodded. “She'll be in her lab at the sanitarium.”

“Better go quick; you're starting to drip.” Boudica said casually, pointing to the droplets on the floor.

Had she really been that rough with it earlier?

She thanked them and left quickly.

She could feel the gaze of the religious upon her back.

\--

Paracelsus had been set up in the basement of the sanitarium, next to the morgue and crematorium.

She was in the middle of shaving off a piece of one of the quills she had retrieved from Amani into a beaker when Amani knocked on the door.

She didn't look up from her work.

“What do you want?” she said curtly.

“You said to see you if there was a problem.” Amani said, holding her bloody arm up. Paracelsus looked up.

“Oh my. This is fantastic.” she said as she placed her instruments on the table. She scurried over and grabbed Amani's arm gently, twisting it to get a thorough view.

Amani winced.

Paracelsus led her to her desk and bid her to sit in the chair as she pulled out her doctor's kit.

She grabbed a pair of flat tweezers and started using them to unwrap the bandages slowly.

Amani hissed as parts of it stuck to her wounds; pulling away thick globules of barely congealed blood.

“You tore these open.” Paracelsus stated. “What were you doing?”

“I must have rolled on it in my sleep.” Amani lied. Paracelsus clicked her tongue.

“It's not infected, but I want to put an antibacterial ointment on it to be safe.” She looked at Amani, eyes obscured behind the tinted lenses of her mask. “Putting your full body weight on it shouldn't have undone all of the day's healing. Your scabs should have been more developed.”

“What does that mean?” Amani asked.

“It means something's wrong with either you or the wounds.” Paracelsus said, turning back to her work. “I'd like a sample.”

Amani nodded her consent.

Paracelsus took a dropper and sucked up some of her blood, then went to work washing and tending to her arm.

Amani was a little worried.

The wound had been inflicted by a nightmare made manifest. She didn't know if its quills behaved like quills of the waking world.

Paracelsus gently ran her hands along the bandages, making sure everything was in order.

“If this doesn't get better we'll have to take more drastic measures.” She said, tapping on Amani's amputation point. “See me tomorrow. Hopefully I can take the arm off at the elbow, but we'll see.”

Amani was disquieted by this woman.

\--

Josephine was sitting on her bed, trying to decide what to do with herself.

She hadn't even known Amani a full week, and yet she just let her handle her like she belonged to her.

She bit her lip as she ran a hand gently down her neck.

Touching it sent shivers down her spine.

Her chest was starting to feel uncomfortable as Amani's blood dried; sticking her tunic to her body.

They had created quite the problem for Josephine.

She absolutely could not pick up her own clothes in the morning looking how she did, and she wasn't sure if Amani would be comfortable enough with going to the brothel to pick up her own clothing, let alone Josephine's.

And if she had to go on an expedition anytime soon, the marks were going to hurt like hell.

The thought of putting on a backpack made her wince.

But she felt so good.

Being held so possessively by Amani while she claimed her neck was something her body had been craving ever since she caught sight of her fangs.

It made her feel warm and wanted.

She craved more.

She perked up when she heard the door open.

“You'll never guess what...” Sarmenti said as he walked in, pausing upon seeing Josephine.

“Don't you know how to knock!?” She tried to yell with her weak voice.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

Josephine followed his gaze towards her bloody chest.

“Oh, no, I'm okay.” she said in a hurry, throwing her hands up.

She then went silent.

For once she didn't know what to say.

Sarmenti was staring at her in deep thought, casting his eyes up and down her form.

“Those are very impressive.” he said, gesturing towards her neck. “She's...wow. I knew she was possessive but...merde.”

“She's not possessive.” Josephine said.

She felt stupid as soon as the words left her mouth.

Sarmenti crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow as he leaned on the door frame; cheeky smile on his face.

“Really?” he teased. “You're going to tell me Amani's not possessive while you're sitting there looking like that.”

He looked towards Amani's vacant bed.

“Speaking of, where is she?” he asked.

“She needed her arm re-bandaged.” Josephine said, readjusting her tunic.

Sarmenti nodded.

“I came to talk to her specifically. Mind if I wait for her with you?” he asked.

Josephine sighed.

“Yeah, sure. She shouldn't be too long.”

\--

Amani ended up going to the tavern for the third time to pick up some bread for her and Josephine, though this time she paid no attention to any of the patrons.

She noticed that it was getting colder and wondered if Josephine would be warm enough that night.

When had she gotten this attached to her?

When Josephine saved her life?

Was it how well they worked together on expeditions, or was she attracted to how well she carried herself in the Hamlet?

Amani wasn't sure.

She walked silently to the barracks, listening to the night.

She heard the ungodly shriek of something far, far in the distance.

The first thing she saw upon entering their hut was the flickering flame of the wood stove.

She second was Josephine, still tousled and relaxed; eyes wide and warm upon seeing Amani.

“Oh, there you are!” Sarmenti shouted excitedly from her bed. Amani turned to look at him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, not exactly thrilled to have company.

“I wanted to tell you about what I overheard at the tavern; figured you should get a heads up.” he said; cheer having left his voice.

“Alright.” Amani said simply.

“You're going to have a hard time with Junia. She's been getting better slowly, ever since you three killed the Collector, but she seems to be...projecting the monster onto you.” he said pensively. “Reynald came back after you two left and they had a bit of a talk about you being some sort of demon.”

Amani nodded solemnly.

“I overheard when I went looking for Paracelsus. They were with Damian, so I think they suspect-”

“Vampire.” Sarmenti finished. “Well, this may be a bigger problem than I thought.”

They both looked toward Josephine, who looked nervous.

The religious could not find out about her neck if they were looking for reasons to incriminate Amani.

“Damian didn't sound like he agreed, but this could change things.” Amani said.

She was worried.

“Damian is a strange beast,” Sarmenti said, putting a hand to his temple as he looked as his feet, “but he's pretty confident his his hunting abilities. I don't think he'll misidentify you if he has any doubts.”

He stood up.

“Well, I think I've killed the mood enough.” he said, looking between the two. “Just be careful.”

He left with a small wave, shutting the door behind him.

Amani sat beside Josephine and passed her some of the bread.

“How's your arm?” She asked as she took the loaf. Amani lifted her arm to show her.

“Paracelsus says it's healing wrong.” she said as Josephine gently placed her hand on it.

Her cold hands were pleasant on her wounds.

“It's really warm.” Josephine said, “Too warm.”

Amani sighed. She really had been too rough with it.

_I just needed to be closer to you._

“We'll have to wait until your arm heals to-” Josephine stopped, blushing furiously.

Amani leaned in close, bringing her lips a hair's breadth away from Josephine's ear.

“Properly take care of you?” she whispered.

Josephine shivered and tried to lean into it, but Amani pulled away.

“Are you cold?” Amani asked. “Do you want to share a bed tonight?”

“I...would, but you need to take care of your arm, especially these next few days.” Josephine answered.

She sounded equal parts disappointed and worried.

“You're right,” Amani said. “I will.”

\--

Amani woke up to the light of the sun streaming through the window and onto her face.

She blinked the haze out of her eyes as she sat up and stretched her back.

She then froze as she came to a realization.

She wasn't in the desert.

For the first time since coming to the Hamlet, the snakes hadn't visited her.

Why? They had visited her every night so far.

She felt too well rested to spend time trying to figure it out now.

Amani took a quick look at her arm and found that her bandages were only slightly soiled.

She wasn't sure if that was good or not, but Paracelsus had instructed to to visit her later, so there was no reason to worry until then.

She looked over to Josephine, who was starting to stir herself.

Amani noticed she was shivering again.

“Are you cold?” she asked. Josephine sat up with a look of surprise.

“You're...awake?” she asked back, “No nightmares?”

Amani shook her head.

“No, none. Must have been too exhausted.” she said.

It might have been true.

There was a slight pause in conversation as Josephine shifted the blankets around her.

The bruising around her neck was much darker, and had used the night to bleed out slightly around her throat.

Amani was starting to feel very guilty.

“How's your arm?” Josephine asked. Amani lifted it up and twisted it around.

“Doing better.” she answered. Josephine nodded.

“We need to pick our clothes up.” she stated, eyeing Amani closely for her reaction.

Amani tensed slightly before standing up from her bed.

“I'll...go get them.” she said apprehensively.

“Are you sure? I'm sure we could ask someone to do it if you needed.” Josephine said with worry. Amani shook her head.

“It'll be okay.” she said, “I won't be long.”

\--

Amani stood at the brothel door; hand hovering over the doorknob. She was going over everything Josephine had said to her the day before about the business, trying to remind herself that things were different here; that no one had been forced into sex work.

It was still hard to work up the courage to open the door.

Someone placed their hand on her shoulder from behind and she elbowed them hard in the gut.

She spun around to face them, and found herself face to face with Damian, who was gently clutching at his stomach.

“Still a bit tender,” He said with a smile on his face, “but not the roughest greeting I've received.”

Amani relaxed her guard.

“You startled me.” she said plainly. Damian nodded.

“Don't like to be touched.” he stated. Amani nodded.

He gestured towards the brothel door, and Amani opened it for them.

The door lead to a short, wide hallway with a red carpet running down the middle. Three doors were on the left side, with one door was on the right. Two very tough looking villagers stood on either end of the hallway, who were both eyeing up Amani and Damian upon their entry.

A few men and women sat on benches talking excitedly to each other.

The atmosphere was relaxed. Amani was starting to feel a little better about being there.

The same painted woman from the day before came out of the door on the right to greet them.

“Oh hello! Here for your clothes?” she said cheerfully to Amani, “Or are you interested in our services?”

The men and women perked up from their conversations to look at Amani and Damian.

“No.” Amani said a little too quickly. “Just the clothes. I need Josephine's as well.”

The painted woman hummed.

“Normally I don't let other people pick up clothes for each other, but I think can make an exception for you and your girlfriend.”

Amani went a bit red in the cheeks.

“She's...” she trailed off.

_We probably do look like a couple._

She tried to keep herself from smiling at the thought.

The woman looked around Amani and frowned.

“Oh it's you. You know how hard it is to get all that blood out of your crop top?”

“I've mentioned I don't mind the stains.” Damian said. The woman shook her head.

“And I keep telling you I'm too proud of my laundering skills!” she threw up her hands and walked back into the room she came from.

Amani gave Damian a side glance and rose a brow. He stood there unperturbed.

The woman came back with a large basket of clothes; taking Damian's out and throwing them at him.

“There you are! And take your shirt off if you go whipping yourself so I don't have to stitch it up every week!”

Damian caught the clothes in one hand and left without saying anything more to her or Amani.

The woman sighed and handed the basket over to Amani.

“Norville's clothes are in there too, if you don't mind running them over to him. I don't like going to the sanitarium.” she smiled sadly. “Too much suffering.”

\--

The Madam really was skilled with her laundry. Despite being covered with blood and refuse, there wasn't a single visible stain on their clothes, and everything smelled like flowers.

Josephine's scarves were adequate enough to cover her neck, but she'd have to be careful not to pull them down too far.

The two of them went together to visit Norville.

The nurse let them in without much fuss, unlike when they had visited Dismas earlier in the week.

It worried Amani.

They walked past Dismas' room, which was filled with a few visitors, to where Norville was staying.

Sasha greeted them in the doorway and let them to his bed.

He looked awful.

He had been propped up into a seated position on the bed; his pale face staring at the window across from him with unseeing eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept since being admitted.

Sasha jumped up on the bed and lied down on him.

“Our first visitors.” Barriston said from his seat beside Norville's bed. Norville blinked a few times as Sasha whined and slapped his chest.

“We weren't sure if it was appropriate to visit yet, but we had to bring his clothes anyway.” Josephine said. “How is he?”

Barriston shook his head.

“Near catatonic at times, refusing to eat so far and he's still not speaking.” he explained, a weary look on his face.

“It's only been a day.” Amani said.

“That's true.” Barriston said tiredly.

Sasha slapped Norville again, and he seemed to regain his senses. He looked slowly towards Amani and Josephine.

“Hi Norville,” Amani said; a small, sad smile on her face, “How are you feeling?”

Norville started sobbing.

\--

The visit had brought their spirits down significantly. Norville had eventually calmed down enough to write down a few questions for the two of them. They were mostly asking about Damian's well being, and he seemed to relax a little once they told Norville he was okay.

Barriston told Amani and Josephine that there was to be another meeting that night.

He sounded grave, and paled slightly when he gave them the news.

“Do you think the Heir has already planned another expedition?” Josephine asked once they returned to the Barracks, fidgeting with her rings.

Amani shrugged.

“I don't know,” she said grimly, “but I'm worried. I remember being told that he usually doesn't plan them so close together.”

“You don't think he'd send us out again, do you?” Josephine's hands grew shaky. Amani reached over and grabbed one of them.

“I don't know.” she answered, voice low and quiet.

She gave Josephine's hand a small squeeze.

\--

Spirits seemed oddly high in the Chapel. Many of the adventurers were crowded around Dismas, who was seated in the front with Junia.

Amani noticed that they both looked a lot better.

Everyone was chatting excitedly until the door audibly closed behind Amani and Josephine. They all looked towards the two of them and fell silent.

Amani wasn't expecting this.

Josephine gave them a powerfully stern look, and a few looked away from them.

Sarmenti waved them over to the corner with him and Tardif, and they headed their way.

About five minutes later, Barriston walked through the chancel to the podium and called for quiet.

Norville was predictably absent.

“Well, I know this is unorthodox, but we've another expedition from the Heir.” He said, shuffling the pages he had with him along the podium.

There were a lot of worried murmurs and glances around the church, and Barriston had to call for quiet again.

“I know...I know this has been a hard week, but the Heir thinks it's important to 'keep the good streak going'” Barriston put a hand to his temple and closed his eye. “And this is a...this is a big one.”

Josephine was clutching to Amani again, shaking slightly. Amani looked to her and noticed she was trying to keep a calm face.

“We're being sent to the Cove, to...” Barriston shuffled his papers, “Light help us; 'lift the curse'”

Excited babble burst forth from the adventurers; some swearing loudly while others kicked the already broken pews.

“Merde.” Sarmenti hissed under his breath. “That could mean anything.”

Barriston shouted for quiet for a third time.

“Alright, here's who I need.” He said, pointing at a paper in front of him.

The Church grew deathly silent.

“Alhazred, Audrey, Reynald and...” he hesitated, opening and closing his mouth a few times before continuing, “Josephine.”

Amani and Josephine looked to each other in shock.

_What?_

“Alright, everyone except you four get out.” Barriston said, clearly tired and irritated. There was no idling from the other adventurers as they rushed from the church with sighs of relief.

Except for Amani, Sarmenti and Tardif.

“We've never..” Josephine couldn't finish. She was shaking too much as she brought herself closer to Amani.

Tardif clapped her on the shoulder, which luckily for Josephine was her untouched one.

“Pull yourself together. Now.” He growled. “You cannot show weakness.”

Josephine took a quick, deep breath and nodded.

“We'll be waiting for you at the Barracks.” Sarmenti said, giving her a determined look.

Josephine nodded as the men left.

Amani didn't know what to say. She had absolutely no words.

So she brought Josephine hand to her lips and kissed it tenderly.

“Barracks.” She managed to whisper before letting go and walking away.

Josephine walked to the front with her back straight and face neutral.

Barriston watched her sympathetically.

Josephine looked at her companions. She knew Reynald, who was as always fitted in his full suit of armour, but the other two were unfamiliar to her.

The blonde woman with the mole, who she assumed was Audrey, was dressed in blue and wore a large black hat on her head. She stood with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face.

The other man, Alhazred, wore robes as fine as Josephine's, along with a matching turban. His facial hair was groomed beautifully. He was very well put together.

He was stroking a skull as he waited for Barriston's instructions.

“Alright,” Barriston started, “the Heir has a very specific task for you all.”

He handed one of his papers to Alhazred.

“Ah.” He said, “I'm starting to understand.”

Josephine looked over his shoulder and saw a rough sketch of what looked like an amalgamated pirate's crew.

“The Heir wants us to dispose of the crew that was stumbled upon a few weeks ago. Seems he was able to dig up some information on it in his ancestor's notes.” Barriston explained.

“Is it wise to bring Jo with us?” Audrey asked. “Not that I think you're incompetent hun, but you must be tired.”

“We don't get to make those decisions.” Barriston said sternly. “But I can't say I don't agree with you.”

“Does the Heir want me for scavenging again?” Josephine asked. Barristion nodded.

“He says he has reason to believe that the 'Drowned Crew's' shipwreck has a great deal of valuables hidden within it.” he explained. Josephine pursed her lips and nodded.

“So Reynald and I are both needed for our very specific areas of expertise.” Alhazred stated.

“You leave tomorrow morning.” Barriston said. “Same as always, dawn in the square. This could be a long quest.”

Josephine gritted her teeth.

Despite appearances, she was terrified.


	12. Fishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Audrey, Josephine and Alhazred find themselves getting along, with Reynald choosing to be a stick in the mud. 
> 
> The group finds more trouble than they had hoped for along the way to the Drowned Crew.
> 
> Josephine figures that this might be her worst excursion yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not much I want to say about this chapter. I like writing gruesome fights, and I've got some nasty stuff planned for this excursion. 
> 
> And as always, I'm reading your comments even if I'm not always responding :)

Josephine left for the Barracks before the others had a chance to talk to her. She was hoping they weren't catching on to how nervous she was; especially since she had garnered a reputation for having quite the backbone.

Back in her hut Tardif and Sarmenti sat on one bed, while Amani sat on the other. They all looked in Josephine's direction as soon as she opened the door.

Their expressions were grave.

“Tell me the details.” Sarmenti said as Josephine sat down beside Amani.

“We're going off to purge the 'Drowned Crew'.” She explained. “He wants me to scour their shipwreck for treasure.”

Sarmenti perched both hands over his nose and took a deep breath.

“Merde.” he said after a pause. “'Drowned Crew'. You have no idea what you're up against.”

He slid his hands off his face and looked up at the roof.

“You're familiar with the Crew?” Amani asked. Sarmenti nodded.

“Yeah, I'm pretty fucking familiar. Tussled with them a few weeks back.” he started. “Was off looking for rare coral with Alhazred, Bigby and...” he sighed, hunching over and looking down at his feet.

“We came across it by accident. There was a large cave that opened up into the ocean, teeming with the coral we needed, and we rushed to grab enough of it to appease the Heir.” he exhaled sharply out of his nose. “It burst out of the shit, right at the edge of the shore. Sunk an anchor right into Anne and dragged her into the water. Bigby managed to break the chain the thing was holding and drag her up but...” Sarmenti's face went blank.

“we didn't realize she was dead until we had dragged her out of the cave. Bigby couldn't accept it; he was irrational. He dragged her corpse by the chain of the anchor all the way back to the Hamlet. Her face was unrecognizable by the time we made it back.”

They all sat in silence for a few moments.

“Is there anything else you can tell me?” Josephine asked. Sarmenti frowned.

“Well, it didn't chase us, so I think it's rooted to the shore.” He shrugged. “If you stay out of its reach, you should be okay. You're just there for collection anyway.” he said.

“What else is down there?” Amani asked.

“A few fish people and slugs.” Sarmenti answered, “With very tough, scaly skin. That's about all I can tell you.”

“It's better than nothing.” Josephine said, reaching for Amani's arm.

“You're smart.” Tardif said. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise. “So long as you keep level headed, you'll do fine.”

“He's right.” Amani added. “You've...without you we would have died in the Warrens; I hope you know that.”

“Yeah.” Josephine answered quietly.

Sarmenti stood up and gestured to Tardif to do the same.

“We're going to leave you to rest. We'll see you off tomorrow.” He said. Tardif grunted a farewell and they left together.

Josephine leaned against Amani as she held her arm.

“I'm so tired, Amani.” she said. “I need respite.”

“I know you do.” Amani said, shifting herself to allow Josephine more room on her shoulder. “I just wish I was going with you.”

“I don't think Reynald would be of any use if we were both going.” Josephine said, smirking slightly.

They sat quietly with each other; listening to the sound of the crackling fire.

“Shit.” Amani hissed. “I forgot; I have to see Paracelsus.” She looked down at Josephine, who looked tired and weary.

“Go. I'll still be here when you're done.”

\--

Amani went straight to Paracelsus' lab, and was not surprised to find her hovering over a chemistry set. She sucked something up from one of the vials with a dropper and released it onto a slide.

“Take a seat.” She said as she put the slide under the microscope, “I'm just finishing up with your blood.”

Amani sat down at Paracelsus' desk and watched the woman work. She clicked her tongue and tapped her gloved finger on the table as she stared unto the microscope, twisting her head in such a way so as to not knock anything over with the beak of her mask.

“This is very unusual.” she said, “Are you sure you're human?”

“I beg your pardon?” Amani asked, her voice terse. Paracelsus turned to look at her.

“Calm down; I'm not trying to persecute you.” she switched off the microscope's light and reached across the table to grab her doctor's kit. “Your blood is abnormal.”

She walked over and plopped her kit on the desk beside Amani.

“Not human enough.” she finished.

Amani furrowed her brow.

“What do you mean?” she asked as Paracelsus gestured for her arm.

“Not human enough, as in only partially human.” the Doctor answered as she began unraveling the bandages. “I haven't identified the other species yet, but-”

She stopped mid sentence when some of Amani's skin started coming off with the gauze.

“Interesting..” Paracelsus said to herself. She grabbed a pair of tweezers from her bag and started separating Amani's skin from the gauze.

“What's happened?” Amani asked. “Is it...infected?” she'd never seen an infection that looked anything like her arm did in that moment. The skin attached to the gauze looked as if it had been shed naturally, leaving behind fresh skin. The flesh around her wounds had drawn tight around the newly formed scabs, and seeing them exposed like this made Amani feel itchy.

“No,” Paracelsus said as she put her tools and the soiled gauze down on the desk, “but it's certainly healing...differently.” She ran her hand along Amani's arm.

“How does it feel?” She asked.

“Itchy.” Amani said, watching her stroke over a few places.

“It's bumpy; as if something's under the skin.” Paracelsus paused to look at Amani. “I'd like to let this develop. And I'll be keeping your skin for testing.”

“That's fine.” Amani relented. “Is there anything I should be doing in the mean time?”

Paracelsus shook her head.

“No, just come see me again tomorrow night; sooner if there are any major changes.” She started salving up Amani's arm and wrapping it. “Don't scratch it or sleep on it. I want this to have minimal outside interference while it develops.”

\--

Amani managed to convince Josephine to sleep in the same bed with her, so long as Amani could figure out a safe position for her arm.

She neglected to mention the strange development with her skin in fear of stressing Josephine out too much before heading off on the expedition.

The snakes were absent once again that night, and Amani was grateful. She was stressed enough with Josephine leaving.

As Josephine woke, she clutched harder onto Amani. She buried herself against Amani's chest.

“I don't want to go.” she mumbled into her. Amani rest her injured arm gently over Josephine.

“I don't want you to go.” she said quietly. She sighed deeply and held Josephine a little tighter.

“Watch your arm.” Josephine scolded. Amani chuckled.

“Don't worry about me right now.”

Amani tried to help Josephine get ready, but found herself to be more in the way than anything. Josephine knew exactly what she was doing. She could see her starting to shift into a professional mindset as she affixed herself with all of her pouches, scroll cases and robes.

They both walked to the square together, finding themselves to be the second ones there. Audrey was chatting with Paracelsus and Boudica casually at the foot of the crumbling statue. Boudica noticed them first.

“Off on your own today.” She said to Josephine, who nodded in affirmation. “It's an odd sight to see.”

“Boudica says you two are close.” Audrey jumped in, pointing to Josephine and Amani with her right middle and index fingers.

“I've barely seen you apart since you got here!” Boudica laughed. “It's hard to believe you're not going together.”

Amani gritted her teeth as she nodded. Boudica stopped laughing; her smile fading away.

Alhazred and Dismas joined them in the square.

“You're looking a lot better.” Amani said to Dismas.

“Yeah,” he laughed, “I'm not quite dead yet.”

“Why are you here?” Josephine asked.

“Seeing off Alhazred and Reynald, whenever he gets here.” he shrugged. “He's usually prays too much before an expedition. Loses track of time.”

Sarmenti jogged up to the square with Tardif a few paces behind.

“I thought we were going to be late.” he said panting, his hands on his knees. Tardif walked up casually and chortled at Sarmenti as he stood up straight. “Oh wow, this is quite the turn out.”

Dismas whistled.

“No one told me the man that carried me home was so handsome.” he said to Tardif with a wink. Sarmenti scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Great, you're everyone's type.” he said, just loud enough to be heard. He gave Dismas a sly look as Tardif pursed his lips and looked anywhere but the two of them.

Dismas and Sarmenti burst out laughing.

Barriston came into the square carrying a small collection of paper. He looked over the small group with surprise.

“Didn't expect so many people.” he mumbled to himself as he did a head count. “Where's Reynald?”

“Late, per usual.” Dismas said, hands crossed behind his head. “Here comes Bigby though.”

Amani recognized the man in chains walking in from the Barracks as the 'Half Man' from a few nights before. He was tall but hunched over, with a green cloak half worn over his shoulder and half of his hair shaved off. He looked disheveled.

“Oh, hello.” he said nervously. “I've just come to see a few of you off. Or all of you, maybe, I don't want to be rude.”

Alhazred waved him over and they fell into a quiet conversation.

“Oop, there he is.” Dismas said, looking over to the church. Reynald, Junia and Damian were walking down the steep path that connected the church to the square; Junia looking grim and Damian completely unfazed with his surroundings.

Junia gave Amani a pointed look as she entered the crowd. Damian walked over to Josephine.

“Give me your arm.” he commanded as he stabbed himself on his bracelet. Josephine, who was a bit perturbed, did as she was asked. Damian placed his hand on Josephine's injured arm. Josephine shuddered slightly, and ran her hand over it once Damian pulled away.

“Figured I'd fix the damage I caused before you left.” he explained. Reynald and Junia were watching him; Junia clearly baffled, and Reynald's expression hidden by his helmet.

Amani felt guilt wash over her as she realized she had forgotten all about Josephine's injury. They had been focusing too much on Amani.

Damian walked off casually before anyone had a chance to say anything to him.

Amani was starting to think that Damian might not be a cause for concern.

She looked over to Junia and Reynald. Junia was trying very hard to look like she wasn't staring at Amani, and Reynald was clutching onto both of Dismas' hands.

“I didn't see you off earlier this week.” He said, voice distraught. “I should have been there for you.”

Dismas looked at him apprehensively.

“What are you talking about? It was supposed to be a quick jaunt; no one saw me off because there was no need. I was gonna come back fine.”

“Still, it wasn't so.” Reynald retorted. Dismas laughed.

“Relax! You've apologized for too much this week. And besides, it's your turn out there. Don't waste energy worrying about me here.”

Reynald nodded, but kept his hold on Dismas, who was starting to look uncomfortable.

“Alright you four, gather 'round.” Barriston said, eyes glued to his papers as he waved them over. Amani reached for Josephine's hand. Their fingers made contact as Josephine stepped away, and they continued to touch until Josephine was out of range.

Barriston passed a few pages to Josephine and Reynald. Josephine found herself with the map.

“I've a few copies of the map, each with the path to the Crew marked. Reynald I've given you the details we've been given on the Crew.” Barriston explained. “Josephine, your copy of the map has the previously explored rooms crossed out so you don't waste your time with them.”

Josephine nodded and tucked the map into one of her pouches.

“That everything sugar?” Audrey asked. Barriston nodded.

“It's going to be wet, so keep that in mind while picking supplies. Alhazred, you've been down there before; I imagine you'll be taking point?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. We'll let things play out how they will.” he said, talking more to his skull than to Barriston. Barriston sighed.

“Alright. Fine. You'll sort things out on your own.”

The four of them were waved off. They all looked back to the group standing in the square.

Sarmenti looked on grimly, and nodded at Josephine when she met his gaze. Tardif stood with his arms crossed, staring intensely at Josephine.

_“You cannot show weakness.”_

She nodded at him.

She then fixed her gaze on Amani. She was trying to look composed, but Josephine could tell she was having trouble keeping it together. Tardif elbowed her in the side and she stood up straighter. She nodded at Josephine.

Josephine nodded back.

_I'm coming back._

\--

Josephine winced as she adjusted the pack on her shoulders. She took up the task of carrying everything again, of her own volition, just to make things easier. Audrey was the only one to protest.

“You're going to wear yourself out, sweetie!” she said, hand extended to take something from her. Josephine gave her a strained smile.

“I'm stronger than I look.” she said. Audrey pursed her lips.

“Okay, but you let me know if you need me to take something.” she said as she took their firewood off of the pack and slipped it into her own bag.

The walk to the Cove was the shortest Josephine had taken so far, and they arrived faster than she had expected.

The entrance into the caves was surrounded by ankle deep water, riddled with driftwood and the crumbling effigies of humanoid cephalopods.

“Must have been a few more shipwrecks since last I've been here.” Alhazred said to himself. “Ah, yes.”

He stood beside the corpse of a seaman that was starting to show signs of bloating. Josephine couldn't smell him over the stench of fish and saltwater.

“Let us go.” Reynald said. He said a small prayer as he walked past the corpse.

They followed him into the cave. Josephine pulled out her map.

“I've planned a route. I don't want to load up on things before we fight this thing, so I think I should do this string of rooms going to it, and then take this path back so I can scour these remaining rooms along the way.

“I'd say that is wise, however I do ask that if you find anything of...arcane nature, you let me take a look.” Alhazred said. Josephine shrugged her shoulders as she kept her eyes on her map.

“Sure, but if I find it valuable, I won't be handing it over.” She answered casually. Alhazred hummed in thought.

“You will be handing what you find over to the Heir.” Reynald interjected. Josephine and Alhazred looked to each other with annoyance.

“Don't worry about the Heir; he'll get what he wants.” Josephine said, raising a brow at Alhazred. He smirked at her.

“Reynald, honey, the Heir's been very impressed with Jo. Don't go fussing over how she does things.” Audrey scolded. Reynald said nothing as he started walking down the naturally formed corridor. The others followed close behind him.

The Cove was very wet, cold, and humid. Josephine could feel the cold water beneath her feet soaking into her shoes and up her robes. She tried her best not to shiver as they waded through ankle deep patches of water on the path they were taking.

“Are you gonna rust, Reynald?” Audrey asked.

“Yes.” he answered, “But if it is the will of the Heir then it is a necessary sacrifice.”

Josephine had to hold her tongue. As much as she wanted to drill Reynald about his feelings on the Heir, she knew this was not the time or place to do so.

Things were going better than she thought between them, at least for the moment.

She noticed something twitching on the path ahead of her underneath a shallow patch of water. It looked like a clump of pink anemone, but she could swear something was wrong with the way they pulsed.

“Stop!” she shouted as Audrey took a step into the puddle. Audrey slipped as she stopped in her tracks, and Josephine tried to reach out to grab the collar of her jacket. A pink tentacle shot out of the water with lightning speed; wrapping itself around Audrey's leg and pulling hard. Audrey fell to the ground hard, but managed to land on her forearms before her head could collide with the uneven path. Josephine dropped to her knees and hooked her arms under Audrey's armpits; pulling as hard as she could against the tentacle to get her free.

“Cut it off!” Josephine yelled. She let go of Audrey's right arm to let her reach for a knife holstered on her thigh. She pulled her knee as close to her chest as she could and started slashing at the tentacle on her leg. Alhazred scurried over and dug his knife into the anemone; flicking it upward. The anemone deflated and the tentacle went limp. Audrey unwrapped it from her leg and scooted out of the puddle.

“I've read about these; this species of anemone can be planted in any water logged surface. They feed off anything that happens to wander into their path.” Alhazred said, shaking off his knife. “Some use them as traps.”

“You didn't think that to be pertinent information?” Audrey asked in irritation.

“We didn't come across any on my last expedition here, and we did indeed take this path through. I'm sure of it.” Alhazred answered, expression confused and tone worried.

“So something's setting traps.” Audrey said as Josephine helped her to her feet. She winced as she put weight on her leg.

“What's wrong?” Reynald asked.

“Leg's a bit numb; feels like it's asleep.” Audrey said as she took a few tentative steps. “All the way up to my hip.”

“If it's not injured, we keep going.” Reynald said, turning back around to continue down the path.

“Reynald, we need to be careful.” Josephine said. “If we're up against this Drowned Crew, we'll need to make sure we don't exacerbate any injuries.” She pulled out a pouch of herbs from her pack and stuffed them into her censer; snapping a flame to ignite them.

“A sorceress!” Alhazred said excitedly. Reynald stopped in his tracks.

“Hardly.” Josephine answered, gesturing for Audrey to inhale the fumes.

“Even so, quite impressive. Perhaps we have something to discuss after we've finished our task here.” Alhazred said, placing a hand on his chin as he observed Josephine's censer.

Audrey tucked her hair behind her ear and inhaled deeply.

“Oh wow, this is really something.” she said, “I feel good.”

“Then we walk.” Reynald stated without turning to face them.

\--

They walked for a few hours without incident, with Josephine tucking into a few smaller caves along the path to scavenge. She found an abundance of jewels, but nothing else of note.

They were all very careful to keep their eyes open for anemone.

The corridor they were walking along was surrounded on both sides by the ocean, and grew darker the further they traveled through. Audrey tried to light a torch, but was having trouble.

“The damn humidity's making the thing damp.” she hissed. “I don't think it'll light.”

“There's no other way to go;” Josephine said, looking at her map, “this is the only path that leads to the Crew's wreck.”

The cave grew darker as they stood there. Alhazred pulled out his knife; holding it firm in one hand with his candled skull in the other. Audrey took the pick axe off her back as Reynald unsheathed his sword. Josephine stuffed her censer with herbs.

A vivid blue light bloomed in the darkness.

It bobbed and swayed as a soft, eerie wail echoed off the cavern walls. Watching the light was oddly calming, and as it got closer they were able to see more of its shape. Tendrils were dangling from a nearly featureless body, which twisted gently as it bobbed back and forth. Its tendrils were twirling around it like a delicate skirt; the calming blue light that glowed from within them casting light into the cavern.

Something thrust out from the waters and stabbed Josephine in the ankle. She cried out as something tried to use it as leverage out of the water. Audrey kicked it, shattering wood and separating the thing lodged in Josephine's ankle with it.

They both backed away from the edge of the path as something gripped onto it to pull itself up. It was hard to see in the glow of the thing floating down the cavern, but they caught glimpses of blue green scales and black claws on webbed, human like hands. They were hit with the stench of fish and rot as it pulled its torso out of the water and flopped onto the stone path. Audrey shouldered her pick axe and threw a few knives; lodging one into the back of its head and a few down its spine. It spasmed as it slid back into the ocean with an ungraceful splash.

The blue creature was within reaching distance of Reynald, but he was not reacting, seemingly entranced by its glowing form and eerie wailing. It twisted around in a full rotation to gain momentum and slapped a barbed tentacle across the front of his helmet. A loud buzz boomed throughout the cavern as electricity arced off of Reynald and shot along the cavern; striking walls and returning to him to shoot up and down his armoured body. The metal popped, singed and whined with electricity, which showed no sign of stopping its back and forth from Reynald to the walls and floor. He was rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Splashing was heard from beside Alhazred as another creature tried to pull itself up onto the path, though it was much faster than its predecessor. Alhazred chanted a quick mantra and a black, swirling portal formed in front of him. A large orange tentacle shot forth from it to wrap around the thing's neck, and pulled hard. A loud crack was heard as the thing was dragged from the water and flung across the rocky ground; tumbling limply across it to splash into the water on the other side of the path.

More creatures started pulling themselves up out of the water.

Josephine limped into the centre of the path and snapped, igniting the herbs into a blue vapour, which quickly swirled around her.

“Get close!” She yelled, to which Audrey and Alhazred complied. The vapours formed into a cloud around them, and quickly dispersed. Audrey slapped the handle of her pick axe down into her other hand and spun it around energetically. Alhazred widened his stance and stood up straighter. They stood with their backs to Josephine and circled around her slowly as scaly humanoids started walking into the range of the light. They were illuminated in flashes of bright blue as the lightning continued to dance behind them; revealing glimpses of bulging, unaligned eyes and large gaping maws.

One of them let a harpoon roll down off its back and into its hand. It spun it around before pulling its arm back and jabbing quickly at Audrey. She sidestepped and jumped forward, rearing up with her pick axe and aiming for its head. She landed the blow right between its eyes with a loud crack, and was sprayed with a gooey red ichor as she dislodged her axe. A flash of lightning alerted her to a fish man to her left too late, and she was only able to half dodge a thrust to her ribs; taking a long gash along the underside of her breasts. The hook on the tip of the harpoon snagged in her blouse as it was pulled back, and took her along with it. She stumbled sideways and started to fall to the ground before Josephine caught her and kicked hard at the harpoon's shaft; splintering half of it and bending it inward as she dislodged it. She winced as she hopped backward on one foot out of the fish man's range.

Alhazred waited patiently for one of their assailants to get into range. It stumbled slightly, as if adjusting to walking on land, before rushing forward with a surprising speed to slash with its rusty cutlass. Alhazred side stepped calmly, and strategically stabbed into the side of its ribs; striking the heart and killing it instantly. Its momentum allowed it to take another full step before falling dead to the floor in a heap. Alhazred's line of sight was now cast upon Reynald, who was convulsing on his feet; twitching involuntarily as electricity played with his impulses.

He made a quick motion with his hand as he aligned his candled skull with his core. A few eldritch words passed his lips, instigating a swirling black portal to form on the ground beneath the glowing blue jellyfish floating before Reynald. Several orange tentacles sprung up and slammed into the jellyfish's underside, causing an eruption of electricity to flow back into the invertebrate. It deflated; popping and fizzing as its light flickered and it floated to the ground, slowly, like a feather. Alhazred summoned another portal and slammed a tentacle into Reynald; dissipating the electricity and sending him spinning to the ground.

Audrey was now facing off against a fish man in near darkness. It jabbed out with its broken harpoon, aiming quickly at her left shoulder and then her right. She rolled one shoulder back and then the other, laughing to herself.

“Oh I'm not much for dancing anymore, sugar.” She said as she spun around to its left, gaining momentum and lodging her pick axe into the middle of its back, severing the spine. “Especially not with bloated, smelly men.”

She quickly hopped back and switched to her throwing knives, waiting for movement.

None came.

She twisted around carefully, slowly scanning her surroundings. She relaxed a little when the darkness started to lift and the surface of the water became visible.

“I think we're clear for now.” She said as he put her knives away. Josephine was trying to hop towards Reynald and Alhazred, who was standing cautiously two meters away from the Crusader.

Audrey slung Josephine's arm around her shoulder and helped her walk the rest of the way. Alhazred threw his hand out to block them.

“Don't get too close; he might still be electrically charged.” he said sternly.

“Reynald!” Josephine shouted. “Can you move?”

There was no response.

“What do we do?” Audrey asked with wide eyes.

“We have to get him out of the armour.” Josephine answered.

“We don't know if we can touch it.” Alhazred said, brow furrowed. “Do you have a plan?”

“I might.” Josephine said as she looked around. “Grab the harpoons.”

Audrey let go of Josephine to gather the three harpoons lying on the ground. She handed one to each of them; keeping the broken one for herself.

“What are we doing with these, prying it off him?” she asked. Josephine planted her harpoon on the ground and started hobbling over to Reynald.

“We're gonna try, but I don't think it's going to be that easy. Snap the hook of yours off and poke him with the wood; that might help.” Josephine said as she walked. Audrey propped her harpoon on the ground at an angle and stomped down on the weakened wood, separating wood from iron, and hurried over to Reynald.

She jabbed him quick and hard in the chest, causing a shock to pop from his armour and burn the end of her stick.

“Is this going to work?” She asked. Josephine grit her teeth as she planted her foot on the ground.

“I have no idea. Maybe. He might be dead for all we know.” she said as he reached out to hook under Reynald's helmet. The shock wasn't as strong as the one Audrey provoked, and it stopped short at the wooden shaft of the harpoon. She managed to get the helmet off his head and grimaced at the sight.

Reynald's face had exploded in places; exposed raw muscle was surrounded by peeling, blackened skin and part of his upper lip had burned away completely, exposing half of his gritted teeth. One of his eyes was completely fried, but surprisingly intact within its socket, of which the skin had burned away to expose the bone of the cavity.

Audrey slapped a hand over her mouth, and Alhazred pulled his arm up to cover his nose with his sleeve.

“Is he dead?” Audrey asked, voice muffled beneath her hand.

Reynald let out a cough.

“Ya lahwy.” Alhazred muttered, “Work quickly!” 

After a few jabs and prods, they were able to loosen the armour and discharge the electricity enough to touch it, though some of it had fused with Reynald's skin. 

“Tear it off; I can heal whatever you do to him.” Alhazred said as he tore off a gauntlet, degloving Reynald's hand in the process.

Josephine did the same to his leg as Audrey shimmied off his pauldrons. Between the three of them they were able to strip him of his armour, but were unable to separate the parts of his underclothes that were fused with his body.

“Step back.” Alhazred said as he bit his thumb and smeared his blood on the candled skull. The women shuffled back quickly as the ground rippled beneath Alhazred and Reynald. Alhazred closed his eyes and started chanting in a language Josephine barely recognized from her past. 

Hearing it spoken now, she could tell that the snippets she had heard before were spoken by amateurs. It sounded boorish in comparison to Alhazred's intonation. 

An ungodly screech burst from the ground as orange tentacles slithered out of rippling gaps of starry black sky forming around Reynald. They twisted around each other to form a wall around the man as skin and muscle started to reform on his body. They reached out slowly as he started to scream and writhe; his body now rejecting the foreign material of the clothes fused with his flesh. Alhazred swung an arm out to his side and twisted his hand around with a strange, flicking motion. The starry portals of the more aggressive tentacles faded away and reformed around Alhazred. The tentacles coiled back out towards him, wrapping around him as he continued to chant with his eyes closed. 

Reynald was screaming for it to stop. 

More tentacles wrapped around Alhazred; one around his neck and another around his eyes. Two more were coiled around his forearms and wrists, and he visible winced as they started to apply pressure to him. The one around his throat started to squeeze. 

“Enough!” he shouted, and the tentacles loosened their grip. The ones around Reynald retreated back into their portals with haste, but the ones wrapped around Alhazred lingered, as if reluctant to leave. They slid off slowly, caressing him as they retreated into their portals. Alhazred slumped over, completely breathless. 

Reynald was struggling to sit up. He was quite obviously in shock; deathly pale and trembling like a man submerged in ice water as he struggled to breathe. Audrey rushed over to him and crashed to her knees as she pulled out her water skin. 

“Drink.” She urged as she held it up to Reynald's lips; cradling the back of his head with her free hand. He slowly opened his lips to accept the water into his mouth. 

Josephine stood in place and darted her eyes between Reynald and Alhazred. 

“Sorcerer?” She asked breathlessly. Alhazred laughed tiredly. 

“Hardly.” he answered, opening his eyes to wink at her. She let out a small, humourless laugh. 

\--

It took a good while to bring Reynald back to his senses, and Josephine used the time to give him a good once over. 

Alhazred's magic had done a magnificent job in healing the man, though parts of him were heavily scarred; notably his left hand where he had been degloved, and around his left eye and upper lip where the skull had been exposed. There appeared to be some scarring shooting up his neck and into his face, not unlike the lightning he was struck with. Besides the scars, Josephine noted short black hair, which was now bald in places, and a neatly trimmed beard that had been singed along his mouth. 

Reynald started to gather the salvageable parts of his armour. 

“We should to find a place to camp.” Josephine said. “You're traumatized and I can't walk.” 

“I can tend to you,” Alhazred said, kneeling beside her and lifting up her robes to expose her bloody ankle, “but we're too far away from the Drowned Crew to be thinking about camping. We're all in fighting condition, and I'd like to rest knowing that I only have to worry about the Crew and the walk back in the morning.” 

Josephine hissed as darkness swirled around her ankle. She could feel the flesh knit back together with too much clarity. 

“You make a good point.” She said as he stood. She pulled out her map and they looked at it together. 

“We should camp here. It's about an hour's walk and there's a nice flat area around a pool of drinkable water.” Alhazred said, pointing to the map. “It also brings us about thirty minutes away from the Crew.” 

“Then it's settled.” Reynald said as he donned his helmet. He was able to wear his chest plate, pauldrons, and parts of the lower half of the suit, but not much else. One of his legs was fully exposed and both of his arms were bare save his right gauntlet. 

He probably could have wore the parts of his suit that had been fused to his skin, but the thought of that made Josephine gag. He must have felt the same way. 

“Are we all ready?” Audrey asked as she finished bandaging her chest. They all nodded and headed through the cave; now blackened in places where the lightning arcing off of Reynald's body had struck. 

They had made it the full hour without incident, and Josephine had even managed to find a few eldritch idols that were worth a good fortune in the right circles along the way. 

Alhazred pointed towards the archway of a crumbled, half submerged temple. 

“That'll be what we're looking for.” he said. They descended an algae slicked set of marble stairs while Josephine took in their surroundings. 

“This was an impressive city, by the looks of it, before it was submerged. It must be a couple thousand years old.” she said to no one in particular. 

“Maybe older.” Alhazred added. “I recognize some of the murals from my studies. I think this may be the ancient city of R'lyeh.”

Josephine had heard that name somewhere, but she couldn't place it. It sounded like something her master may have talked about to his peers while she was eavesdropping. 

“Alright, I'm tired.” Audrey said as they reached the door. She placed her hand on the handle and looked back at Josephine. “Are you going to need help setting up ca-”

A massive red claw tore down through the top of the wooden door and slammed into Audrey's shoulder. She buckled under the weight and was knocked to the ground onto the splintered wood and stone.

“Audrey!” Reynald and Josephine shouted in unison. Reynald drew his sword and stabbed forward at the claw, which swiped out wide and knocked Reynald's arms apart. He stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. Alhazred positioned his skull in front of him with his free hand behind it; two fingers extended upwards. Darkness whirled around him as a tentacle rushed forward and grabbed the claw; pulling hard and knocking whatever it was attached to into the door frame. It stumbled backwards back into the room as Reynald was scrambling to his feet. 

Josephine used the opening to rush in and grab Audrey, who was trying to blink the stars out of her eyes. She dragged her a meter away from the door and started working on filling her censer with her healing herbs. 

Reynald rushed into the room after the thing, and came face to face with a giant red fiddler crab. Its shell was growing around the broken helm of a ship, with rigging wrapped and tangled around its body. It shook its head to clear its vision and get a good look at Reynald. The Crusader rushed in and swiped at its neck, which it blocked with its massive claw. It opened it and pushed Reynald back with its force, causing his armoured feet to scrape along the stone with a sound that rattled teeth and tensed shoulders. Reynald's sword scraped along the claw as he pushed back, making a terrible noise of its own as he scratched off flakes of red. It jabbed with its free claw and struck Reynald in the side; denting his armour and forcing him to the ground with a loud clatter of metal against stone. 

It went to stomp on him with one of its many pointed feet, but an orange tentacle wrapped around Reynald with unnatural speed and threw him across the room just as it slammed its foot down.

Reynald went rolling and bouncing as Alhazred cautiously entered the room, keeping his eyes locked on the fiddler crab as he walked along sideways. 

Audrey was quickly coming to her senses as she inhaled Josephine's healing vapours; taking deep breaths as she tried to move her arm.

“No good; It's broken.” she said. “Gonna have to work without it.” Josephine huffed in irritation.

“Fuck. Okay I'll cover you.” She said as they jolted to their feet. Audrey popped the cork off a flask on her hip and brought it to her lips; tilting her head back to chug it. 

“Alright.” she said, dropping the bottle to the floor and wiping her lips off with the back of her hand. “Let's see what you've got hun.”

They ran through the doorway, Audrey in the lead. Josephine reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a small handful of smoke pellets. They both darted past Alhazred to the other side of the room and spun to face the fiddler crab. It was darting its gaze between Alhazred, Audrey and Josephine, keeping them all in its line of sight. Josephine tossed the smoke pellets at the fiddler crab's feet, which burst with loud pops and crackles as smoke spewed forth from them. Audrey ran into the smoke as the crab's eyes started to water. 

Alhazred used the distraction to chant and twirl his finger while pointing towards the crab. A sigil formed on its head; one circle forming and turning clockwise, then another forming within it turning counter clockwise. The outer circle faded away into a string of archaic characters as one large symbol burned into the centre. It both boomed and screeched as it stopped turning, causing the crab to shriek and swipe at its point of contact on its head. Reynald bolted past Alhazred, using the distraction to get in close and stab up into its chest. The shell cracked, allowing the tip of his sword to embed itself into the fleshy meat beneath it. The crab shrieked as it skittered backwards away from its assailants.

Audrey was circling around behind the fiddler crab, but stopped short when she picked up on a wet, gurgling murmur. She scanned her surroundings, trying to find the source of the noise, and spotted something in the corner. 

It looked like the fish men they had fought earlier, but smaller and with a violet hue to its scales. It looked like it had shoved its face through an ill fitting golden crown, and unlike the others of its kind, wore a crude tattered loincloth. Its eyes were closed in concentration as it held a makeshift staff aloft; chanting something unrecognizable in a wet gurgling voice that was not meant to speak. 

Audrey took a few more strides forward to line herself up for a good shot. She tossed her knives in rapid succession, striking the fish man through the throat and embedding one knife into its eye. The third bounced off its crown and clattered to the floor. She clicked her tongue as she jumped back out of its line of site. 

She felt a gust of wind behind her and just barely managed to hit the ground in time to dodge the massive claw that went swinging over her head. She looked up to see the fiddler crab turning itself to face her and scurry closer. She scrambled to her feet and ran backwards away from it, taking careful note of the fish man's location as she did so. 

Reynald held back with Alhazred as they watched the crab disappear into the smoke. Josephine ran up beside them and hid behind Reynald as she snapped into her censer. Blue mist puffed up into the air to mix in with the humidity around them. They all breathed deeply, getting a good whiff before it disappeared. 

“Reynald go left and Alhazred go right. Surround it on both sides; Audrey will cover you from within the smokescreen.” Josephine commanded. The men both dashed off with no hesitation as Josephine filled her censer up with something rotten.

Audrey was walking backwards; ducking and sidestepping as the crab took swipe after swipe at her. She fumbled for her pick axe with her left arm, cursing as the crab slammed down, barely missing her nose. She caught sight of gleaming metal to her right and saw a flash of red robes to her left, and figured out what was happening. She managed to grab her pick axe and swung with it one handed as the crab went in for another swipe. The axe collided with the claw, and they both repelled from each other with a loud crack. The crab winced as it pulled its claw away, sending a few bits of shell flying as it did so. 

Reynald rushed up and stabbed into its soft underbelly, dragging his sword inward, tearing up organs it its wake. Alhazred formed tentacles underneath it as it tried to back away from Reynald towards him and flicked up with the back of his hand. They sprung up and slammed up into its gut, some connecting with its open wound, and pushed it backwards full force. It staggered backwards and collapsed onto its side, shrieking and kicking with its legs. 

The smokescreen was starting to dissipate, revealing all three of Josephine's companions to her.

“Get out of the smoke!” She yelled. The three backed out quickly as she blew into her censer, sending forth toxic fumes to merge with the smoke covering the crab. It started letting out wet, gurgling coughs as it pushed itself to its feet; guts spilling out of its shell and slapping onto the floor. It took a few feeble steps forward, unintentionally swaying to Josephine's right as it tried to find its footing. Then, just as Josephine started taking a few steps back, it scurried forward with startling speed. Reynald went running after it, trying to make it to the crab before it made it to Josephine. 

Josephine was not prepared to dodge, so instead she swung her censer up at the crab; letting out a loud gong as a green gas spewed out of it. The crab ran straight through the gas cloud and thrust out at her with an open claw. Both ends of the inside scraped deeply along her arms, and she cried out as it went to snap shut around her. One of Alhazred's tentacles snapped out and forced its way around the claw, preventing it from closing any further. The fiddler crab vomited all over itself as it inhaled more of the gas, but kept strong enough to fight back against the tentacle around its claw. Josephine was trying to shimmy out of its grasp, but was only managing to saw the serrated edges of the claw deeper into her arm.

Reynald ran under the crab and jabbed his sword back into the wound on its underbelly, straight into what was left of its innards. It shriek and gurgled, and Reynald jumped out from under it just as it started to stagger backwards, sliding its serrated claw through Josephine's wounds with an unsettling scrape. It let out one final choke before collapsing loudly to the ground. Its eyes started to grow milky. 

Josephine's censer clattered to the ground as she stumbled backwards. Her vision swam and blurred as her arms went limp at her sides. Things became muffled and quiet as someone ran up toward her. She couldn't hear what they were shouting over the ringing in her ears. 

She started breathing erratically, or maybe not at all, it was hard for her to tell. She tried to say something, but couldn't hear or understand what it was. A strange lightness, both cold and hot, rushed throughout her head and she started to feel light. 

She had the urge to go left. She took a few steps whilst trying to curl up into herself at the same time, and was met with darkness before she hit the ground.


	13. Buying Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josephine's expedition ventures on to confront the Drowned Crew.
> 
> Things are tense with Reynald.
> 
> Survival becomes hard to grasp as Alhazred loses touch with the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This played out how I wanted, but I may have crammed too much in or rushed scenes a bit because I've been too busy this past week to set some time aside to work solely on this. I hope that's not reflected in this chapter. 
> 
> Also (possible minor chapter spoiler?), I don't know first aid! I can only go off of what I've gone through as an injured/incapacitated person, and what the people around me had to do to keep me alive. I can't exactly watch myself go into convulsions, so some of this is just based on what I could piece together from eye witnesses, and the state of my body after I came to.

Josephine fell to the ground in a heap, just out of Audrey's reach, and started going into violent convulsions.

“Stop her!” Alhazred shouted. Audrey separated Josephine from her backpack and threw her to the ground. She jumped on top of her; slamming her knees into Josephine's shoulders and pinning her on her back. She gripped the side of Josephine's head with her good arm and tried to hold it in place.

“Aren't we supposed to let her ride this out?” Audrey yelled to Alhazred, voice uncertain.

“I need her still if I'm to heal her,” He said as he reopened his wounded thumb and smeared blood on the candled skull. “and she's going to damage those arms beyond repair thrashing like that.”

Audrey grunted as she put more of her weight onto Josephine.

“I can't grab her legs. Reynald I need your help!” she shouted as she looked over to Reynald. The Crusader dropped his sword to the ground with a loud clatter, but otherwise did not move.

“Reynald!” Audrey shouted again. He took a shaky step back.

The air around Audrey and Josephine rippled like water before splitting open to reveal the dark starry expanse of deep space. Audrey's head swam as orange tentacles uncoiled from their depths and reached out past her to touch Josephine. The earth split to reveal more of the universe and allow more tentacles to emerge, which curled around Josephine's legs and waist to try and prevent her thrashing. Her body was spasming and tensing against its constraints in a manner that looked painful.

“Al you gotta work faster.” Audrey hissed as a few tentacles started trying to twist around both her knees and Josephine's neck. Josephine started gasping and crying out unconsciously as the bones in her arms started to reform and the muscle knit themselves around them.

Alhazred didn't respond, but started chanting faster and louder.

Josephine's noises of agony were starting to make Audrey sick. It felt vile to hold someone down as they thrashed and screamed, even if it was for their own benefit.

Tentacles wrapped around Audrey's neck tight enough for a thrill of fear to rush though her fast beating heart. She tried to shout to Alhazred before they crushed her windpipe.

“AL!” she screamed hoarsely.

Alhazred's voice screamed back, splitting into multiple tones as the tentacles started to retreat from the women. Audrey gasped as her throat was let go, and found herself readjusting her weight on Josephine as her convulsions started to relent.

\--

Josephine's ears began to ring softly as her vision swam back into focus. The scene was dim, as if viewed through a tinted window at twilight.

She could see Audrey poised above her. It took Josephine a few moments for her body to feel the weight on her chest and shoulders, as well as the hand on the side of her head.

The ringing in her ears grew louder as she started to register the feeling of something curling around her legs and arms. She started feeling faint again.

She tried moving her head to try to physically escape the feeling, but it was held firmly in place.

“D..n't...mo..e...Jo.” She heard Audrey say to her. The faintness became too much for Josephine, and she started to hyperventilate before falling back into darkness.

What seemed like an eternity later, Josephine awoke, lying on her back and staring up at Audrey's face. The woman looked down at her with panic in her eyes.

“Jo, honey,” she said, patting Josephine gently on the cheek, “You okay, sugar? Deep breaths.” Josephine concentrated on her breathing until she felt stable enough to talk, though she found it hard to when Audrey's full weight was still on her chest and shoulders.

“What happened?” She asked.

“You passed out; went into convulsions. Scared us all half to death!” Audrey answered, look fading from panicked to worried. “How do you feel?”

Josephine closed her eyes and Audrey leaned in hard with her knees, which were resting on both of her shoulders. Josephine winced as a knee dug into her bruised neck.

“Let me take a look.” Alhazred said as he knelt down beside Josephine, “If she's responding to pain, she should be done convulsing.”

Audrey backed off on the pressure and slid off of Josephine to sit next to her on the opposite side of Alhazred. Alhazred placed his fingers on Josephine's neck, feeling for her pulse.

“She alright, Al?” Audrey asked. Alhazred clicked his tongue.

“Her pulse is weak, but growing stronger.” He said, before looking down at Josephine. “I think she may be suffering from a minor condition of sorts, but diagnosing is Paracelsus' area of expertise. Either way, it doesn't seem like it was a venom transferred from the crustacean's claw.”

Alhazred and Audrey helped Josephine into a sitting position.

Josephine's arms were a bit tense. She looked down and saw her robes were sheered right below her biceps on each side, exposing two nasty matching scars on each arm.

“You were lucky to have kept them.” Alhazred said sympathetically. “They were cut nearly through the bone in a remarkably symmetrical fashion. A truly grievous injury.”

“Thanks for putting me back together.” Josephine said, trying to keep her voice steady as she glanced around the room. They hadn't moved her from where she had fallen, and she could see their weapons and bags dropped on the ground in haste around her. Reynald was standing a few feet away, stiff as a decorative suit of amour.

“You...” he started, pausing to swallow and re-hydrate his throat, “...the thrashing; they could barely hold you down. It was as if you were possessed.”

“I'm just overtired.” Josephine said as she stood with Audrey's help. “We'll set up camp and come up with a plan against the Crew in the morning.”

“'Overtired'?” Reynald questioned. “Surely it couldn't be so simple.”

“Surely it could.” Josephine answered curtly. “Constant excursions, all of which are highly taxing both mentally and physically, could wear anyone down enough for their body to throw a tantrum in protest.”

“I feel like this is something to put on the back burner, loves.” Audrey said to the two of them. “Something Paracelsus can look into when we get back.”

Josephine frowned but nodded her agreement. Reynald said nothing.

\--

After tending to Audrey's broken arm, Alhazred and Audrey did most of the set up; urging Josephine to take a seat next to the fire.

She was shivering quite a bit, now that the adrenaline from fighting and being pieced back together had worn off, and she found that the heat of the fire wasn't enough.

She wanted the warmth of flesh.

The flesh of someone in particular.

“You look distressed, dear.” Audrey said as she set the pot of stew up over the fire, “And not just about how dreary today was.”

“What do you mean?” Josephine asked, a little confused.

“I mean you've got that broken heart look, like a young noble who's parents won't let them marry for love.” Audrey continued as she sat down next to Josephine. “Are you missing someone?”

She flashed Josephine a sly smile and a quick wink.

Josephine went red.

“I've got more important things to worry about right now.” She said, looking away from Audrey as she fidgeted with her rings. Audrey laughed lightly.

“Aww hun, it's okay to miss her.” she said with a smile. Josephine chewed her lip.

“I can take care of myself.” She said quietly. Audrey quirked an eyebrow.

“You know that's not what I meant.” she teased.

Josephine fought against the urge to bury her face in her hands in embarrassment.

“I...” Josephine started quietly, “...I'm not used to being away from her. It just feels strange, is all.”

Audrey nodded.

“What do you think she's doing right now?” She asked. Josephine shrugged.

“Probably fretting about me.” She said with a small smile. Audrey laughed.

“You two are so cute!” she said, slinging an arm around Josephine's shoulder and giving her a squeeze. Josephine tensed at the contact, but wasn't bothered enough to push Audrey away.

It was kind of nice having some levity after the day they had had, even if it was a little embarrassing.

Alhazred was scrunching his nose at the smell of the stew. He pulled out a pouch of something and sprinkled it in before giving it a taste. Reynald was seated by himself across from Audrey and Josephine, with his helmet beside him for company.

Alhazred fussed with the stew for another minute or so before deciding it was acceptable, and then took to dishing out bowls for everyone.

Josephine thanked him as she took the bowl, and pulled down her scarf to eat.

Reynald's bowl went clattering to the floor as he stood in a panic.

“I knew it!” he shouted at Josephine, “That wretch you associate with is a vampire!”

Everyone looked to Josephine, who was frozen with her scarf still held between her fingers. She had pulled it down too far, exposing the marks on her neck.

Audrey held a hand up to her lips to stifle a laugh. Alhazred took a quick glance at Josephine's neck before raising an eyebrow at Reynald.

“Surely you jest.” he said disapprovingly. Reynald shook his head.

“This is no joke. We've a monster in the Hamlet, and she must be purged before it-”

“Stop.” Josephine interrupted Reynald with a growl. “Why are you trying so hard to vilify Amani?”

“I am not vilifying her. She is an evil that we need to deal with.” Reynald said sternly.

“No, that's absolute bullshit. Stop disguising your bigotry as righteous indignation and give me an honest answer.” Josephine spat. “What are you projecting on to her?”

The campsite went deathly silent, save for the small pop and crackle of the fire.

Reynald's eyes were wide beneath his knit brows. He looked both wounded and ashamed.

He sat back down next to his toppled bowl and helmet.

“I...” he started, voice already cracking with emotion, “...it wasn't my fault. I couldn't have done anything to stop them. They just took what they wanted and said it was for the good of the church, but those women...” Reynald paused as he started to choke up. “I knew it was wrong, and yet I turned a blind eye to it all.”

Audrey and Alhazred looked at each other awkwardly, unsure on what to do. Josephine stared at Reynald, waiting for him to continue.

“I thought she might have been sent to strike me down for my sins, but surely my wilful ignorance is not as heinous as the crimes I ignored.” Reynald said, staring down at his feet.“So she must be a demon testing my faith.”

“Is that how you really feel?” Josephine asked. Reynald cradled his head in his hands.

“I don't know. The desert shouldn't have followed me here; I didn't defile it like they did.”

“None of this is my business,” Josephine said bluntly, “but Amani is. I can't have you dragging her down with you because she reminds you of your guilt.”

There was another bought of silence between them.

“Okay.” he said quietly.

\--

Josephine did not sleep well. She was too wet and cold to get comfortable, and even with how exhausted she was, she couldn't sleep through her discomfort.

Alhazred had insisted that some of the tentacles under his control be summoned overnight to keep watch over them as they slept, to which Josephine was grateful for as she looked over at the fresh gore smeared all over the floor by the entrance to their cave.

Once everyone was awake, Josephine called them over to go over a plan.

“Reynald, you were given the details the Heir discovered about the Crew; what can you tell us?” she asked. Reynald thumbed through the papers Barriston had given him the day before.

“They're undead, which means they take exceptional punishment from the will of the light. Other than that, there are only three surviving members of the Drowned Crew, each still set to fulfill their tasks from life.” Reynald held out the ink illustration for the rest of them to see.

“It doesn't look quite like how I remember it.” Alhazred said, hand on his chin in thought.

“What's different?” Josephine asked.

“I could have sworn there were more than three to the Crew.” He said with a frown. “But everything was such a blur. I couldn't say for sure.”

“Well, Sarmenti told me this thing was rooted to the shore, so we should try to use that to our advantage.” Josephine stated. They all nodded.

“Reynald will have to get in close, but I can cover from close behind.” Audrey added.

With a strategy set, they packed up and left the safety of their campsite to head down to the Drowned Crew.

Josephine's heart was starting to hammer in her chest. She hadn't been on a quest that involved hunting something before, and there was something different about planning to fight these monsters rather than stumbling into them.

Granted, they had still been stumbling into creatures.

Alhazred shushed them as they reached a steep staircase carved from the stone of the cave. Stalactites obfuscated their view into the cave that opened up into the ocean, but they could hear the gentle ringing of a bell and the pained, gargling breathing of a set of lungs filled with fluid.

Reynald quickly anointed them all with holy water as Josephine lit her censer. He nodded to them before descending the stairs. Audrey scurried after him. Josephine ducked down and looked into the cave as she followed.

The place was a mess. Their shipwreck covered the entire shoreline of the cave, with flotsam bobbing in the water around the stern of a ship that was just barely free of the water. It had clearly been there a long time, as barnacles had begun to creep up the side of the wood towards the three corpses that were affixed to the boat with large, rusty chains.

The corpse nearest the top of the wreckage, the captain judging by what was left of his attire, was slumped over as much as he could be in his bondage. His arm hung loosely by his side, holding an ornate, golden bell that rang lightly with every unholy wheeze that wracked the thing's body.

Just below the captain was an emaciated corpse with a bandana, holding several ancient bottles in its hands; the only part from its body aside from its head not covered in taught chains.

The third corpse was the only one still partially submerged in water, which allowed for its body to bloat over time. Its torso was free of the chains, but the rest of it was so tightly bound that the body couldn't be seen through them. It was limp like its brethren, and seemed to wheeze in unison with them; each of their chests rising and falling to emit a sickening, wet gurgle.

As Reynald entered into the room proper, the Crew's eyes lit up a ghastly pale blue. They took one large breath in unison as they righted themselves to face the Crusader. The bloated corpse's jaw went slack, nearly falling free from its face as it twisted its neck to work out the stiffness.

The Drowned Crew inhaled deeply and bellowed in unison.

Audrey nearly cleared half the staircase in one jump as Reynald rushed towards the shore with surprising speed. The bloated corpse stabbed out with its harpoon, which Reynald blocked with his sword and directed toward the ground, before stabbing forward to lodge his blade into the arm of the corpse. It roared in anger as it tried to twist its arm free, only managing to mangle it in the process.

The emaciated corpse directly above Reynald cackled as it dropped a bottle on his head. It shattered, releasing glass and a foul smelling liquid down into Reynald's visor. He backed up quickly as it ran into his eyes, hissing all the while. Audrey rushed past him and slammed into the chains of the Crew with her pick axe, loosening them slightly. The crew slid down the ship slightly before jolting to a stop with a loud rattle. The emaciated corpse threw another bottle at Audrey, who took a hand off her pick axe to slap it aside; shattering it against her hand. Glass sliced up the back of her hand, allowing the alcohol to wash over her wounds. She staggered back slightly, using her axe as a crutch.

Josephine and Alhazred booked it into he middle of the room and took up a defensive stance. Josephine swung her censor back and forth, forming a floral green cloud around her. Reynald and Audrey backed up into it to stand beside her.

“Watch out for the booze; it's got me drunk just from the nick in my hand.” Audrey said with a slight slur. She shook her head to clear her mental fog as she inhaled from the healing cloud. Josephine passed Reynald a bottle of holy water, which he uncorked and splashed into his eyes.

They and the Crew stared each other down. The captain turned its gaze towards Josephine.

It howled as it wildly waved its arm around to rattle the bell it held. Josephine tensed up as her heart constricted; a deep sinking feeling filling her chest. She struggled to breath; stumbling around to try and escape the bizarre hold that was on her heart.

Audrey put herself between the Crew and Josephine to try and block her from stumbling towards the shore as Alhazred rose his candled skull to his lips and whispered into it. A glowing rune burned into the head of the captain with an unnatural screech before disappearing with a loud boom. The captain's head slammed into the ship from the force of the rune; disrupting its concentration enough to relinquish its hold on Josephine.

Reynald rushed in again, now aiming to strike at the bottle throwing member of the crew. He dodged the first bottle it lobbed at him, and the second crashed against his pauldron; splashing uselessly all over its metal. A white glow surrounded Reynald's sword as he stabbed strong and true into the middle of its skull, shattering half of it with a loud crack.

It cackled at him and swung down at the sword with another bottle, dislodging it from its face.

The captain bellowed and rang its bell again.

A slick, rotten skinned body emerged from the water and threw an anchor at Reynald faster than any of them could react. It lodged itself into his gorget and was yanked hard by the rotten body, sending Reynald to the ground and dragging his head down into the water.

Alhazred shouted a hurried incantation to summon a long and spindly tentacle. It slapped around wildly before shooting out from the black portal to latch around Reynald's core to play tug of war with the thing in the water. It slithered further up Reynald to get a better grip on the man as it pulled. The sound of screeching metal was muffled from beneath the water as the anchor started to tear through the armour.

Audrey bolted over to the crew and reared up with her pick axe. She slammed into the chains again and again, trying to loosen their hold on the crew. The bloated corpse stabbed out with its harpoon and got deep into her thigh. She screamed as it pulled back; the hook snagging on muscle and dragging her leg towards it, throwing off her balance.

Josephine reached into her pouch for her smoke pellets and threw them at the crew. They popped loudly against the boat and exploded into a thick cloud, which was followed by gurgling cries of protest; the glow of their eyes cutting through the fog as they thrashed about. Audrey used the distraction to strike at the harpoon lodged in her leg with her pick axe; shattering the wood halfway to free herself from the bloated corpse's hold on her.

Reynald was starting to thrash about wildly in an attempt to pull his upper body free of the water, feeling the strain of both the tentacle around his waist and the anchor hooked into his armour. Audrey positioned herself on her injured leg; crying out in protest but otherwise ignoring the pain as she returned to hammering at the chains around the crew. The emaciated corpse started swinging blindly with his bottles, successfully colliding one with Audrey's head. Her hat was knocked off as another bottle was smashed into her, but she held firm and managed one final strike before the chain snapped and the crew went colliding down in a heap on the shore.

The chain attached to the anchor went slack and Reynald was thrown from the water and across the room. The anchor dislodged itself as he tumbled through coral and stone to land in the middle of the cave. Alhazred's tentacle retreated back to its realm in the same haste it had been summoned to help Reynald, allowing Alhazred to shift his focus back onto the Crew. The smoke was dissipating from around them, revealing a heap of corpses loosely bound to the scraps that were once their ship. They clawed over each other to try and reach the shore; all eyes glued to Audrey. She staggered back as quickly as she could, but with half a harpoon gouged deeply in her leg, she was having difficulty putting enough weight on it to escape. She stumbled over a large grouping of coral and landed flat on her back; her arms bloodied in the fall.

Reynald had struggled to his knees and reached for the banner on his back. He struck it violently into the ground and used it to stand up to his full height. A large beam of light descended from a gap in the cavern ceiling; basking the Crusader in a warm glow as the light shined and glinted off water droplets that beaded down his armour. He panted, trying to catch his breath as he watched the crew crawl towards Audrey. Reynald inhaled deeply.

“By the Light I will see thee vanquished!” he bellowed. The light dancing around him channeled into his banner and burst forward into a beam cast towards the shore. It was as if the sun had suddenly shined through a cloud to illuminate the Drowned Crew, who screamed as their bodies burned up in blue flame. The water reflected the light back into the cave; casting ripples onto the cavern walls and stalactites and plunging them all into a sea of pale blues and whites.

Josephine rushed over to help Audrey as the last of the shipwreck sunk into the ocean. Her leg was shaking as blood poured too freely down it to stain the ground with a puddle of red. Audrey went to rip the harpoon out of her leg.

“Don't.” Josephine said, grabbing Audrey's wrist. “That's the only thing keeping you alive right now.”

“I'm sure Al can fix this up.” Audrey said, face going white.

Alhazred shook his head.

“I can't. The entity won't come out in holy light.” he said grimly, gesturing all around them at the golden light dancing off the cavern walls. He knelt down next to Audrey across from Josephine.

“We can't move her. The harpoon's plugging up her artery, but the moment it gets moved she bleeds out.” Josephine said as she dug through her pack.

“It's not doing a great job keeping my blood in.” Audrey laughed wearily.

She leaned back into Josephine and went limp.

“Shit!” Josephine exclaimed. “Alhazred straighten her leg out for me while I tourniquet it. We gotta figure something out fast.” She wrapped the bandage as tight as she could around Audrey's thigh right above the wound and tied it off in a knot as Alhazred held the leg steady.

“We have to move her to the hall; it's the only way I can heal her.” Alhazred said. Reynald walked over and stood over the three of them.

“Let me see what I can do.” He said as he straightened his banner. Light filtered through it and cast itself upon Audrey's thigh. Her face twitched and groaned as the bleeding started to let up slightly and some of the torn muscle knit itself back together.

“That's all I can offer, but it should buy us enough time to get her into the hallway alive.”

“Let's do it.” Josephine ordered. They went to grip her, but Reynald reached down and scooped her up in his large arms. He took quick, calculated steps; trying not to jostle Audrey's leg as he bounded up the stairs. Alhazred and Josephine ran after him.

Reynald placed her as gently as he could while working with haste onto the ground and stepped back to give Alhazred room to work. Alhazred waved Josephine over.

“When I say so, pull the harpoon out.” He said as he bit his thumb and smeared the skull for the third time since leaving the Hamlet. Josephine nodded and grabbed onto the shattered wood sticking out from Audrey's thigh.

Alhazred seemed to go pale as he summoned a very concentrated amount of tentacles around the three of them. The air shattered like glass as they exploded out of the void violently; slamming into the ground around them and whipping around their bodies. Josephine struggled against the grip two tentacles had around her arms and looked towards Alhazred in fear. He had one coiled around his throat; the tip pressed firmly against the back of his head, as if holding it in place.

“ **You ask too much of us, mortal**.” a deep, rumbling voice said using Alhazred's throat to speak. Goosebumps ran down Josephine's arms as an icy shiver went up her spine. The world seemed to get impossibly quiet. She saw Alhazred struggle to unroll his eyes from the back of his head.

“I do no such thing. We struck a deal and I'm holding you to it.” he said, his demeanor calmer than the situation called for. His lips curled into a wicked smile as his head rolled back of its own volition.

“ **Indeed we did, but it would be wise not to test us, Alhazred.** ” the voice chuckled; the rumbling of its laughter echoing deep in Josephine's chest and rattling her to her core. “ **The puerile meanderings of your kind are not worthy of our attention.** ” 

“You will comply.” Alhazred stated. The tentacle tensed around his throat, as did the ones around Josephine's arms. 

“ **You will be ours yet, mortal. Do not forget.** ” the voice said, just as sternly as Alhazred's command. 

Ear piercing screams spilled out from the shattered void around them in a cacophony of madness. Josephine felt like the air pressure had changed significantly, and she felt a pop in her nose followed by a stream of blood spilling down her face. Alhazred was struggling to breathe against the pressure applied to his neck by the thick tentacle wrapped around it. 

“NOW!” he yelled to Josephine. She pulled as hard as she could against the tentacles wrapped around her arms, screaming as she worked the harpoon free. The tentacles let go of her and she ripped the harpoon out with too much force; flinging herself backwards in the process to land hard against the ground. She scrambled upright in a panic, trying to keep an eye on the appendages surrounding her.

Audrey's wound started healing up too quickly. She jolted up into a sitting position screaming bloody murder.

Alhazred cut his connection off quickly. The tentacles shattered and turned to dust, which then faded up into the air where they dissolved into nothing. They were all breathing heavily.

“Is everyone alright?” Reynald asked.

“I don't know hun. I feel downright awful.” Audrey answered weakly. Josephine pulled out a canteen and poured water over Audrey's wound to wash the blood away. She was surprised to see that a deep gash was still there; blood weeping out slowly from the torn flesh.

“It didn't work.” She said to Alhazred. He swore quietly to himself and got closer to take a look.

“The entity is cross with me,” he said tersely, “but at the very least this is a wound that will take to bandaging.”

\--

Josephine left Alhazred to finish tending to Audrey, and returned to the battleground of the Drowned Crew to look for anything of value. She was a little too nervous to grab the gems she saw in the water, and just stuck to what she found just out of reach of the shore, as well as the ornate bell of the captain.

It wasn't much. Certainly not worth the work they put into it.

She came back up the stairs to find Audrey being held up by Reynald as she tested putting weight on her leg. She hissed and hopped back up on one foot, with Reynald keeping her steady.

“I can't walk on this.” Audrey sighed. “I don't suppose one of you lovely dolls has a secret talent for carrying damsels in distress?”

Reynald scooped her up and held her close to him, bridal style.

“I will do what I can for the time being.” He said. Audrey nodded, too tired from blood loss to respond.

Josephine insisted that they keep a steady pace and that she'd scour a few rooms along the way, catching up with them as she did so. She found a few more gems before deciding that she'd rather come back with less for the Heir than get separated from her team.

The path they had mapped for the way back was supposed to be a straight shot back out to the coast, three hours at most, but they were stumped near the end when they came across a cave in.

Josephine looked about the hall while Reynald and Alhazred looked at the map.

“We could take the time to shovel this out, or try to work out another route back here.” Alhazred said, pointing somewhere on the map. Reynald stood in silent thought.

“Wait,” Josephine called out to them, “This cave here looks like it opens around to the other side of the path. Let me see the map.” she walked back over to Alhazred. They looked at the map together.

“Even if it doesn't, it wouldn't take up a lot of our time to check.” He said as he tucked the map back into his robes.

They followed Josephine into the water logged cave and found that she had been right. The wall leading to the hallway, although quite a ways down from them, had broken away, leaving a passable route straight back onto the path they planned to take.

The cave itself was a lot larger than they had anticipated.

They must have been walking in the ruins of a grand temple. Stone archways stretched above them, each carved with images of tentacles and cephalopods in holy garb, and the walls that crumbled around them must have been decorated much the same. Alhazred looked on in fascination, while Reynald tried to keep his eyes ahead of him.

Josephine heard something from deeper within the cavern. She looked over towards the sound, towards a large opening covered in coral to her left, and saw the gleam of what looked like lavender tinted crystal.

“Hold...on...” she said quietly as she veered off path to trudge through ankle deep water towards what had caught her eye. It was large, possibly the shape of a human carved from a large gemstone, and the closer Josephine got to it, the more enamoured she found herself.

It sat in the water, illuminated by a beam of light piercing through a hole in the cavern roof. Its face was carved into that of a beautiful woman smiling delicately with parted lips. Her eyes were half lidded with mirth as she reached out to beckon Josephine closer to her.

In the very back of her mind, something seemed wrong, but her mind grew foggy as the woman twisted up to her full, abnormally large height and reached out both of her arms for Josephine.

Her seaweed green tail curled around behind her to prop herself up properly as Josephine got closer. The mermaid started to hum a calming melody that soothed Josephine's nerves. She walked within arms reach of her.

“Josephine!” Alhazred screamed from behind her. She whipped her head around towards him.

She was grabbed by the robes and pulled backward into the mermaid's body. Josephine struggled against her grip; crying out as the mermaid dug her claws into her flesh. A hot, wet chuckle tickled her ear as the mermaid started to grow thicker and larger; carrying Josephine up so just her toes were touching the ground.

“Siren!” Alhazred shouted to the others, drawing their attention towards the situation. Josephine saw Reynald freeze in place; Audrey still in his arms.

A large, scaly hand gripped Josephine on the hip hard enough to bruise as a second travelled up her waist. The breath against her ear smelled of saltwater and seaweed.

“You're so lonely.” a sweet voice whispered to her. “So desperate for affection.”

Josephine whimpered as the Siren's travelling hand gripped her hard along her ribs, just under her left breast.

She heard a crack.

“Come with me; I can take care of you, Josephine.” the Siren continued; her bloated lips drooling all over the side of Josephine's head and down her shoulder.

Josephine tried to reach for her kunai, but stopped as an excruciating pain exploded from her left ribs. She opened her mouth to scream but stopped short as the pain grew worse; the expanding of her lungs causing her broken ribs to shift out of place.

“Reynald, put me down and help her.” Audrey said weakly. Reynald continued to stare at Josephine.

“....No.” he said, “We've no chance against this creature as we are.”

“Reynald put me down!” Audrey shouted, now trying to squirm out of his arms. She swooned as she kicked too roughly with her injured leg, and flopped back into Reynald.

“Reynald!” Alhazred yelled as the Crusader jogged off with Audrey towards the crumbling exit.

“We have to leave! You've angered your heathen gods and cannot help us if we fall!” Reynald shouted back. “Leave her or condemn yourself!”

Fear sunk deep into Josephine's chest as she watched Reynald abandon her.

Was she truly this expendable?

“Poor, poor Josephine.” the Siren sung into her ear. “I won't abandon you, love.”

Josephine felt tears dance in her eyes as the Siren sung to her. The song was sweet and melancholic, and brought a choking pain into Josephine's throat as she tried not to cry.

Resting in the deep with the Siren was starting to sound appealing.

Alhazred pulled out his knife as a bloated corpse rose to its feet from beside the Siren. Its guts jiggled and its slack jaw bounced with each step as it stumbled towards him.

Alhazred just barely noticed movement by his feet, and stepped back just as what he had thought was a rock slithered forward and spat a thick grey substance at his feet. Looking around the cave, he found that a good dozen similar rocks were all starting to slither towards him.

He looked up and was surprised that the corpse shambling towards him was much faster than he had assumed possible. It gurgled and moaned as its stomach squirmed and bloated near to burst. Alhazred barely got his arms up in time to block the spray of intestines exploding from the corpse's body. The force of the burst threw Alhazred to the ground, where he bounced hard off a dense submerged pillar as organs splashed to the ground around him.

“He suffers so.” The Siren whispered to Josephine. “Perhaps you should put him out of his misery.”

She dug her claws deep enough into Josephine's hip and ribs to break skin; blood quickly spreading along her wet robes.

Josephine's head swam as she reached for the censor on her belt. She ignored the pain in her ribs as she hooked a finger into the handle, but was too pinned to get more of a grip on it.

Alhazred stumbled to his feet, blood pouring from a gash on his temple, and held his candled skull aloft. He tried to raise his right arm, but hissed in pain as it failed to move.

He widened his stance and dragged his right foot in front of him; toes firmly on the ground and pointed towards the Siren. He chanted quickly, and as he stomped his heel, an unusually large, multi terminated tentacle burst from the space above Alhazred as if through a sheet of ice. It slammed into the Siren with one of its ends and wrapped tightly around Josephine with the rest.

The force of the blow separated Josephine from the Siren; the creature clutching futilely at her skin for purchase. Her claws tore through her ribs and hip, and with both arms crossing over Josephine's body, they raked across her torso as the Siren was forcibly separated from her. Josephine cried out as the tentacle pulled her back with too much force and threw her into Alhazred.

They both fell to the ground and skidded back a good meter, with Josephine on top of Alhazred. He pushed her off his body and into the shallow water with a loud splash as he scrambled to his feet.

“Quickly!” he shouted as he held his undamaged arm out to her. She could only force herself up onto her left forearm before having to stop to clutch at her abdomen; the damage done to her core too much for her to handle.

Alhazred grabbed her by the strap of her bag and pulled her to her feet.

The Siren let out a bloodcurdling scream.

“Run!” Alhazred urged, pulling Josephine hard in the direction of the collapsed wall. Josephine clutched her abdomen tightly as she broke into as much of a sprint as she could; the fear of being returned to the Siren enough motivation for her to suffer through the pain of her shredded flesh and broken ribs. Alhazred kept his hold on the strap of her bag and pulled her behind him at a speed she could barely keep up with as they rounded the bend of the collapsed wall into the hallway.

A harpoon whistled past them and lodged itself in the wall just above Josephine's head. She looked over her shoulder to see the Siren, more a bloated malformed fish than the mermaid she remembered, with her arms raised above her head. Fish men in the dozens were rising from the depths around her, all looking towards Alhazred and Josephine.

They ran as fast as they could towards the exit of the Cove. Fish men hobbled after them, lobbing a constant assault of roped harpoons at their backs. One grazed Alhazred's injured arm, while another jabbed into Josephine's pack. The thing was ripped from her body as the harpoon was pulled back. She was just barely able to cut the strap in time to escape being dragged back along with it.

Alhazred gripped her by the arm and continued to lead her through the caves. They rounded a corner and saw the glow of daylight spilling in from the outside world.

“Keep going! They won't go into the open air!” Alhazred shouted hoarsely. Josephine cried out in frustration and pain as she pushed herself even further beyond what she was capable of in her state. They heard the clamour of the fish men gurgling and screaming behind them as they launched themselves out of the Cove; rolling and tumbling down the slick rocky slope of the exit and landing in a shallow pool of brackish water.

Alhazred rose to his knees and crawled as quickly as he could with one arm over to Josephine. Her breathing was ragged and wet, and as he turned her over on her back he could see that she was starting to go grey.

Her ribs had punctured a lung in the fall.

Alhazred swore loudly as he placed his skull on Josephine's chest. He darted his gaze along her body and could see the trail of claw marks from her right hip leading through her abdomen, as well as another trail going from her left ribs and across her chest, just underneath her breasts. The whole front of her robes were shredded.

Alhazred closed his eyes as he rose his fingers up towards the sky. His ears ringed and pulsed as he felt the void open up around him. It fought him; trying to fizzle out before he could open it wide enough to drag the power he needed through.

“Listen to my call!” he bellowed. “Give her time enough to survive our trek to the Hamlet!”

A sharp pain manifested in his temples as he grew woozy.

“ **We will grant her half a day,** ” a multitude of voices said, overlapping imperfectly in his mind, “ **but we will require great sacrifice from you.** ”


	14. Uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paracelsus finds herself overwhelmed with the responsibilities of a Doctor as the survivors of the Cove return. 
> 
> Alhazred suffers for his good deeds and discusses a theory with his companions. 
> 
> Amani struggles with her feelings for Josephine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of exposition and dialog in this one. Other than that, I feel this chapter may be a bit all over the place? There's something about it I'm not too thrilled with. Maybe I've become unfamiliar with a lack of violence.

Sarmenti and Tardif had spent a good few hours trying to get Amani to relax after Josephine left to go on the expedition to the Cove, but they were having a hell of a time of it. Amani was having a hard time concentrating on anything they were saying, and she kept bouncing her knee nervously as they sat in the tavern. She hadn't touched her drink.

“Amani, please.” Sarmenti said, placing his hand on her knee to force it still, “Relax. There's nothing you can do but wait.”

Tardif slid her whisky closer to her, silently bidding her to drink. Amani took a deep breath and picked the glass up.

“You're right.” she said. She tipped the glass back and emptied it in one go, to which Sarmenti winced, and slammed it back down on the table. “But that's easier said than done.”

“Ah, if I may?”

Amani looked up to her right and saw Bigby, the tall scrawny man in chains, place his hands on the back of the chair next to her with a nervous smile. Amani nodded and he sat down next to her.

“I haven't seen much of you lately, Bigby. What have you been up to?” Sarmenti asked, leaning his head in his hand as he played with the rim of his glass.

“Oh, just reading, mostly, but I'm starting to run out of material.” he said as he waved sheepishly at the bartender, who nodded at him.

“Any luck with Damian?” Sarmenti asked. Bigby's cheeks flushed as he looked to Tardif and Amani, before looking down into his lap.

“Yes, he trusts me enough to sleep inside our hut now.” he said. Sarmenti quirked a brow.

“Where was he sleeping before?” he asked.

“On the path in front of it or in the flagellation hall.” Bigby said with a frown. Sarmenti laughed.

“He was that scared of you?” he asked as the bartender brought over a large tankard and placed it in front of Bigby. “Why? Doesn't he hunt vampires?”

“I'm fairly certain, yes, but I'm a 'reprehensible abomination'” Bigby said, throwing up air quotes with his thin, large hands. “An evil he was unfamiliar with. But, hmm, he let me plead my case last week.” he wrapped his hands around his drink and stared into it.

“How nice of him.” Sarmenti said, rolling his eyes and taking a sip of his whisky.

“Mm, yes. He's strange but I don't think he's horrible.” Bigby said, scratching his stubble nervously. “But I wanted to talk to you, ah...Amani, was it?”

Amani nodded.

“You looked nervous, or you look nervous still. About this morning.” Bigby smiled awkwardly. “Hmm, I think I heard, or I guess I noticed, you don't spend time away from Josephine? You haven't gone exploring without her, is what I mean.”

Amani nodded again, though a lot more slowly. Sarmenti scooted his glass towards Amani and waved for a few more.

“I don't mean anything by it, but I ah, maybe thought I could talk to you about that.” Bigby continued.

“I suppose, depending on what you wanted to know.” Amani answered as she stared him down. He looked away nervously.

“Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I ah, meant about the explorations, not your relationship.” Bigby said, pausing to take a drink. “Hm, Alhazred knows the Cove well. He studies the things that live there, or things like them, I think.”

Sarmenti nodded.

“He's the only one who knew what to do down in those caves.” he added. “It's his specialty or something. Weird fish shit.”

“It's more complicated than that.” Bigby said with a frown. “Maybe, hm, deep sea evil and deep space...there's a connection, maybe. He works with sea creatures from the stars.” he explained.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Tardif asked aggressively.

“Oh, it's just, his connection to the Cove, mm, its eldritch denizens, means they're less likely to have a hard time down there with him. The others, I mean.” Bigby said nervously. “And he ah, can use his powers to heal; put people back together.”

Sarmenti shuddered violently, clutching at his hand.

“Don't...don't remind me.” he said grimly.

“Oh, sorry, but...mm. What I'm trying to say is not to worry too much.” Bigby said, looking back towards Amani.

Amani pursed her lips in thought before nodding slowly at Bigby.

“It...helps knowing that she's with someone so competent.” she said at length.

The bartender came around with a tray of drinks and started to load up the table.

“It's not gonna mean you don't care about her if you let yourself relax.” Sarmenti said as he placed a stack of coin in the bartender's hand. He nodded approvingly and pocketed it as he left.

“I know.” Amani said, taking a small sip from her glass.

They sat silently for a few seconds. Bigby drummed his fingers on his tankard.

Tardif reached into his pocket and took out a deck of cards.

“Why don't I teach you all a game or two?”

\--

After getting schooled thoroughly by Tardif, Amani left to get some rest in the Barracks. She opened the door to a cold, dark and empty room, and paused in the doorway.

Her immediate thought was to help start the fire, but with Josephine not there, there would be no need. Amani briefly entertained the idea of lighting it for the sake of familiarity, but decided against it as she flopped down into her bed.

She looked over to Josephine's empty one across the room.

_What if she doesn't come home?_

Amani grit her teeth and closed her eyes as she tried to push the thought out of her head. Josephine was too strong willed to die, and if Alhazred was as competent as Bigby said he was, there was no need to worry.

She knew there were more fears lurking in her mind but chose to ignore them.

She found herself getting out of bed, walking across the room and standing above Josephine's bed.

She climbed into it and pulled the sheets up to her chest; bundling them up and holding them tight against her. She noticed that they smelled faintly like Josephine; like dried herbs and flowers.

_This is pathetic._

Amani berated herself as she clutched tighter to Josephine's sheets and buried her head into her pillow.

As embarrassed as she was with her behaviour, she felt herself growing calmer lying in Josephine's bed, and within a few minutes she was able to fall asleep.

\--

The next day was grey and dreary. Amani spent her morning training in the guild hall to keep her mind off of the fact that Josephine should be back before the evening. She was forced out by the guild masters at lunch, who said she was going to hit a plateau if she didn't take a break to eat.

Amani exited the building and walked through the square, where Sarmenti was casually playing his lute while talking to Dismas, Tardif and Boudica. He stopped abruptly and squinted his eyes.

“Hold on, is that...what is that?” he asked, his gaze upon the road leading into the Hamlet. They all looked over to see a bouncing speck of silver and blue jogging down the path. Dismas was the first to stand.

“I think that's Reynald.” he said worriedly.

“What's he carrying?” Sarmenti asked as he rose to his feet.

“Not what, who.” Boudica said as she straightened herself from the ruined statue she was leaning on. She turned from them and ran to the Sanitarium.

“Oh shit.” Dismas whispered.

Amani felt her stomach sink.

Boudica had come back with Paracelsus just as Reynald had entered the Hamlet. He was missing more than half his armour, and that what he was still wearing was scratched, dented and burned. He stumbled more than jogged at this point, still taking care not to jostle Audrey in his arms as he did so. Boudica, Paracelsus and Amani met him halfway to the square.

“What happened?” Paracelsus asked as Boudica took Audrey from Reynald.

“Her leg's torn pretty bad. She's lost a lot of blood.” he panted as he tried to stand up tall. Paracelsus gripped Audrey's thigh and took a quick peek at the wound while Boudica held her steady.

“She'll need a blood transfusion.” Paracelsus said, letting go of Audrey. She pulled a book out of one of her pockets and flipped through it quickly. “I need Dismas, Norville or Margaret. Everyone else is useless.”

“Aye, whatever you need.” Dismas said, a few paces away from them. Paracelsus beckoned him to follow her as she walked briskly with Boudica and Audrey over to the Sanitarium.

“What happened to the others?” Amani asked Reynald a bit louder than she intended. He stood silent as he caught his breath.

“They...fell behind.” He said. Amani could feel herself pale.

“You mean they're still on the road back?” Sarmenti asked hopefully.

Reynald stood silent.

“Reynald, what do you mean? Where are they?” Amani asked, her voice low and shaky.

He didn't respond.

“Reynald for fuck sake, answer the fucking question!” Sarmenti shouted. A few people were starting to come into the square in response to the commotion.

“They fell behind in the Cove. There was no time to stop and help them.” Reynald said bluntly. Amani reached out and grabbed his exposed arm tightly.

“No time to he- you left them!?” she shouted, shaking him once as she did so. “Why!?”

Reynald tried to worm his way out of Amani's grip, but he was too weak from the day's efforts.

“Audrey needed medical attention!” he shouted back. “And they were a lost cause!”

Amani screamed and went to strike Reynald with her injured arm, but it was caught by someone. She felt two pairs of arms from behind her try to pull her off of the Crusader.

“Amani, stop!” Barriston shouted as he yanked her back. Sarmenti had stepped out of the way as Amani fought against Barriston and Tardif, who were working together to pull her off Reynald. Reynald backed up as soon as he was free.

“You bastard!” Amani screamed. “I knew I couldn't trust you, Crusader!”

Reynald visibly recoiled at her words.

“Amani!” Barriston yelled, “Get a hold of yourself! Now's not the time for this!”

“Let go of me!” Amani screamed. She shrugged both of the men holding her off and went to run at Reynald, but Tardif caught her by the wounded arm and pulled her back to punch her right in the jaw. She fell to the ground, wincing as her head bounced with the landing.

Amani didn't try to get up. She stayed on the ground, looking past Reynald's feet and straight down the path leading out of the Hamlet. She heard the retreating footsteps and murmurings of the onlookers.

Reynald walked off towards the Barracks.

“I'm...sorry.” Barriston said, voice cracking ever so slightly, before walking away himself.

Sarmenti knelt down and worked Amani into a sitting position; leaning her against his shoulder as he sat down beside her. Tardif stood awkwardly beside them.

Together on the cracked and overgrown stone, they silently mourned.

\--

It had been at least an hour before they heard the shouting. Amani had gone completely numb to the world, not once reacting to anything Sarmenti had said to her, so he was not surprised that she hadn't noticed it. He looked up to see Alhazred, who was nearly upon them, struggling to drag Josephine into the Hamlet. He was holding her up with his left arm as best as he could, with her right arm swung over his shoulders. His right arm was hanging limp at his side.

Josephine was oozing blood from most of her torso, which gently dripped onto the cobblestone as she grotesquely wheezed with every breath.

Sarmenti smacked Amani in the chest to grab her attention. She looked up and was on her feet in an instant.

“I need a healer!” Alhazred shouted hoarsely.

Amani, Tardif and Sarmenti rushed over to help. Amani took Josephine from Alhazred; scooping her up into her arms. Josephine gasped and wheezed as she was moved.

Sarmenti went to give Alhazred a shoulder to lean on, but he shook his head.

“No, help her. She's dying.” he wheezed, clutching his limp arm, “You have less than an hour.”

Amani ran with Josephine to the Sanitarium; followed by Sarmenti. Tardif picked up Alhazred, despite his protests, and followed after them.

Amani kicked in the door to the Sanitarium, startling the life out of the Nurse as she bolted down the stairs towards Paracelsus' lab. She burst through the door, causing nearly everyone's head to turn towards her.

Quite a few people had been gathered in the lab while Amani had been mourning in the square. Dismas was seated in a chair next to a bed where Audrey was lying; a tube carrying Dismas' blood connecting the two together. Paracelsus was standing over Audrey with her wrist in her hand, checking her pulse. Junia had been praying beside Audrey, and Damian was looking over Paracelsus' surgical kit that had been left on her desk.

“She dying!” Amani shouted desperately. Paracelsus scurried around a now conscious Audrey, who was trying to sit up.

“Don't.” Paracelsus said, patting Audrey on the head as she walked by. “Get her on the desk.”

Damian casually shoved everything off the desk and stepped back to allow Amani to place Josephine down. Paracelsus shooed her aside to take a good look at Josephine.

“Her lung was punctured by her ribs. I don't know how much time I was able to buy her, but I know it's almost up.” Alhazred said as Tardif put him down.

“Her lung?” Paracelsus said in surprise, “I can't fix that.”

“What do you mean?” Amani asked desperately.

“I mean I don't have the tools for invasive surgery, nor is this a suitable hospital for such a procedure.” she said in irritation, “Ask the nun.”

Amani turned to Junia, who looked nervous.

“I don't think I can after what I've already done today.” she said quietly.

“She'll die if you don't try.” Amani growled. Junia flinched at her words.

“Let me see, then.” she said, quickly making her way over. She looked at Josephine and winced.

“If you can do the internal damage, I can take it from there.” Paracelsus said. Junia shook her head.

“I can try but I don't think it'll be fast enough.” she said as she placed a hand over Josephine's ribs and closed her eyes.

Josephine's breathing began to slow.

Damian looked around carefully as the room grew loud with frenzied shouting, and found something on the ground. He picked it up and walked over to Amani.

“Here.” he said, passing her a scalpel, “Fatally wound me.”

Amani didn't hesitate.

She took the scalpel and stabbed it right into Damian's jugular. Blood started pouring from the wound as he stumbled backwards, feeling around for the table behind them. Junia jumped back and screamed as Damian ripped the scalpel out of his neck. Each beat of his heart caused blood to spurt out of the wound with great force; spraying all over Paracelsus, Junia and Amani as he turned to face Josephine.

He nearly collapsed before getting his hand on Josephine's chest, but as he made contact with her, his neck started to close up and colour came back into Josephine's face. Her breathing was growing stronger and her shredded skin began to mend.

Josephine opened her eyes with a clear look of confusion on her face.

“Where am I?” She asked, looking up at Damian. “Why are you here?”

He helped her into a sitting position before gripping at his head and closing his eyes.

“What the fuck is going on?” Dismas asked from his chair across the room. Damian pushed past Amani to get to the door. Tardif, Sarmenti and Alhazred stepped aside to let him leave, each with a different look of bewilderment on their face.

Amani grabbed Josephine's hand and looked her over. She was still covered in blood, and her clothes were still ripped to shreds, but otherwise she had not a scratch on her. Josephine stared at her for a moment.

“Did I make it back?” she asked, eyes growing wide and wet. Amani nodded as she tried her best not to tear up along with Josephine.

“Jo is that you?” Audrey called out weakly from across the room. “Is Al with you?”

“I'm here.” Alhazred said as he walked over to her. Audrey laughed.

“Oh good. Did Reynald help you free Jo from that...thing?” she asked. Alhazred shook his head.

“No. He suggested I leave her behind as well.” he said grimly. Josephine gripped onto Amani as she scowled and trembled.

“That son of a bitch.” Audrey said, trying to sit up. Paracelsus hurried over and shoved her back down on the bed.

Dismas leaned over to cradle his head in his free hand.

“Damn it Reynald.” he grumbled to himself. “What is up with you lately?”

Junia, who had been trying to regain her composure after having been splattered with Damian's blood, turned her attention back towards the conversing group.

“Let me see your arm, Alhazred.” she said, walking towards him.

“Oh, no, it's quite alright.” he said, holding out his hand to stop her.

“It's broken.” Paracelsus stated. Junia grabbed his arm.

“It will only hurt a little bit, but I should be able to mend most of it.” she said as her hand started to glow a bright white. The smell of burning silk and flesh filled the room.

“NO!” Alhazred shouted, pulling himself free of her grasp. Junia looked at him with shock as he gripped a smouldering patch of skin and fabric, right where she had touched him.

Everyone was staring at Alhazred with wide eyes as he looked back at them with panic.

“I don't understand...” Junia started, trailing off as she furrowed her brow.

Alhazred pursed his lips.

“I...had to pay a price, to bring Josephine back.” he said. “I don't wish to say more.”

Junia frowned and took a few steps back, glancing over her shoulders nervously.

“Alright, everyone get out.” Paracelsus said, making a shooing motion with both of her hands. “You've made a mess of my lab. No not you.” she grabbed Alhazred by the collar to prevent him from leaving.

Sarmenti and Tardif were the first to leave, followed closely by Junia. She looked over her shoulder into the room at Alhazred with suspicion as she closed the door behind her.

Josephine looked at Alhazred with worry. He smiled humorlessly at her.

Josephine nearly swooned trying to get off the table. Amani was quick to grab her and pull her up against her for support.

Paracelsus, who was now examining Alhazred's arm, looked over to the two women.

“What's your blood type?” she asked, before turning her attention back towards Alhazred. “Nevermind. We'll use mine.”

Josephine nodded as she clutched tighter to Amani for balance.

“I think I'm going to faint.” She muttered. Audrey tried to sit up but fell back onto the bed.

“Don't let her...Para take care of it.” she said weakly.

Amani tried to put Josephine back on the desk, but she went limp in her arms and started to convulse.

\--

Paracelsus handled the situation very calmly. She had Amani place Josephine on the floor and step away from her, and then they waited until Josephine had finished thrashing and started coming to.

“Interesting.” Paracelsus said, a hand on the chin of her mask.

“This happened in the Cove as well. I figured you'd have an idea as to what the issue was.” Alhazred said, a hand on his chin as well. Paracelsus nodded.

“Likely a weak heart; either a birth defect or a temporary side effect of exhaustion.” she said.

Amani knelt down and placed her hand on Josephine's cheek as she took a few deep breaths.

“What are we going to do?” she asked. Paracelsus clicked her tongue.

“ _I'm_ going to give her a blood transfusion, since I'm sure Damian's religious magic doesn't replenish enough blood, and she's going to rest for a few days.”

Josephine gave Amani a strained smile.

“Amani are you planning to stay?” Paracelsus asked. Amani nodded. “Fine. Put her back on the desk.”

\--

After setting, casting and slinging Alhazred's arm, Paracelsus had Amani grab a few blankets and pillows to make her desk into a makeshift bed.

She then told her to come back in four hours.

Alhazred invited Amani to the tavern with him. 

“Not exactly the greatest expedition I've been on.” He said as they sat down together in a booth in the back.

In the back of her mind, Amani was starting to question whether spending so much time at the tavern was the best of ideas.

“What happened?” She asked. Alhazred sighed.

“The denizens were more aggressive than I had anticipated, but despite that we were handling it...well, not fantastically.” he shifted to allow more space between the table and his broken arm. “I was able to hold things together, for a time.”

“Audrey mentioned that Josephine had been captured by something.” Amani prompted. Alhazred nodded.

“We had just defeated the Crew, and Audrey had sustained a grievous wound. I was able to stabilize her well enough for the trek back, but we ran into something from the deep. It lured Josephine over to her and...” he paused, making a gripping motion with his left hand. “...crushed her against itself. Reynald left with Audrey, insisting Josephine was doomed, but Audrey and I didn't share the same opinion.”

Amani grit her teeth as she listened. Alhazred pursed his lips.

“Either way, we accomplished what we were sent to do and we...lived.” he said.

“It sounds like you played a major part in that, and...I should thank you.” Amani said solemnly. Alhazred put up his hand to stop her.

“I only did what I could with the power I was granted...fickle as it is.” he placed his hand over his broken arm.

“Bigby told us a bit about your power.” Amani said, tapping her fingers on the table. “I admit I don't quite understand it.”

“It's not so easily explained, though I'm loath to say I don't wish to speak of it. My grasp on it is...slipping.” Alhazred said grimly.

They sat in silence while they tried to think of what else to say to each other.

“I can't say too many people are fond of Reynald right now, myself included.” Alhazred said at length. “But I think we may want to keep our distance from him.”

“Why?” Amani asked curtly.

“I'd like to let him stew in his guilt, if I'm being honest.” He answered as the bartender placed a drink in front of him. They nodded at each other. “And after his conversation with Josephine last night, I feel it would be unwise for you to approach him.”

“What do you mean?” Amani asked, sitting up a little higher in her seat.

“They had a discussion about you. Long story short, it seems he thinks you an apparition from his past.” Alhazred took a small sip of his drink. “I don't like to gossip, but I thought it fair to tell you.”

Amani rose her eyebrows.

“He what?” she asked. Alhazred shrugged with his uninjured shoulder.

“He seems to have some personal demons pertaining to the crusade, though I suppose that's not any of my business.” he took another, deeper drink. Amani sighed.

“Even so, I'm not going to let him get away with what he's done.” she said. Alhazred shook his head.

“I'm not saying you should, just that perhaps you shouldn't seek him out. If he comes to you, however, do as you will.”

Amani drummed her fingers on the table.

“I can't promise anything, but I will keep your advice in mind.” she said.

\--

Josephine, Dismas and Audrey were instructed to spend a few nights at the Sanitarium, but none of them were keen to follow those directions.

“You need to be under observation after a transfusion.” Paracelsus said. “I'd be a bad Doctor if I let you go free.”

“Weren't you kicked out of medical school, love?” Audrey said, half teasing and half jabbing.

“That's besides the point.” Paracelsus said, voice cold and sharp.

“And you've only the one bed.” Audrey pointed out. Paracelsus went to pinch the bridge of her nose, but ended up jabbing her hand into her beak. She sighed loudly.

“You're staying upstairs. Where the other beds are.” she said, clearly irritated with the conversation.

“I didn't agree to this.” Dismas interjected.

“Your body is taking the transfer poorly. It's in your best interest to listen to me.” Paracelsus said curtly.

“What about you, then? Do birds have more blood than humans?” Dismas said with a crooked smile.

“I'm just healthier than you, you damn scoundrel.” Paracelsus growled. “Go upstairs.”

Dismas laughed.

“Alright, alright. Up we go ladies.” he said, gesturing for them to follow him. “I'm too tired for arguing anyway.”

The three of them had to take their time ascending the stairs, what with them all recovering from blood loss, and they were assigned rooms by the Nurse. She wasn't too happy with having to set up so many rooms short notice, but was otherwise professional in cleaning them up and preparing them for bed.

Josephine didn't intend to fall asleep, but she woke when she heard the dragging of a chair next to her bed. Amani sat down and gripped her hand.

“Hey.” she said quietly.

“Hey.” Josephine said back. Amani stroked her hand with her thumb.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“A lot better than this morning,” Josephine said, smiling weakly, “but otherwise I feel...weak.”

Amani nodded grimly.

“I thought you had died.” she said, eyes growing wet. “I was told you were left behind.”

“I was.” Josephine said, growing a shade paler at the memory. “It...that _thing_ had me. It whispered things to me as it...” she trailed off as she placed her free hand over her ribs.

“I wish they had sent me with you.” Amani said, wiping away a tear that had trickled down her face.

“Amani, if you start crying I'm gonna start crying too.” Josephine tried to laugh as she started to choke up.

They both tried to laugh off their feelings unsuccessfully, and instead ended up embracing awkwardly across the edge of the bed. Amani could feel Josephine's tears dribble onto her shoulder and soak into her skin as she held her closer.

“You think they'd let me stay the night with you?” Amani asked.

“No!” the Nurse called out from the hall. Josephine pulled back and tried to wipe her face clean of tears and snot.

“Thin walls.” she laughed lightly. Amani brushed Josephine's hair out of her face.

They stared at each other intently; both an absolute mess of emotions.

“I-” they both said at the same time. Josephine laughed as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Sorry.”

“No, you go ahead.” Amani said awkwardly. Josephine bit her lip nervously.

“I...will you be here tomorrow?” she asked. Amani nodded.

“Of course.

\--

Josephine ended up staying a full two days and nights before she was discharged, and Amani had been there as often as the Nurse would allow her, which ended up being about an hour a day, what with how many visitors Josephine ended up with. Sarmenti, Tardif, Alhazred, Boudica and even Damian had stopped by at least once, much to the Nurse's chagrin, and Josephine found that her stay wasn't as boring as she had expected.

Dismas was discharged the same day as her, but Audrey was advised to stay at least another night. Somehow, a great deal of people followed Amani and Josephine back to their hut in the Barracks.

Josephine and Amani sat together on Josephine's bed, while Dismas and Tardif sat on Amani's. Sarmenti was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed beside Tardif's feet, while Alhazred paced near the door.

“Why do we always end up meeting in our hut?” Josephine asked, a slight frown on her face. Sarmenti shrugged.

“Closest to the square, and it smells nicer than ours.” he said. Josephine rolled her eyes.

“It's a bit small,” Dismas said as he twirled his knife around, “seems more suited for one person than two.

“Ours isn't much different.” Sarmenti said suspiciously, “Do you have a bigger place?” Dismas nodded.

“Big enough for Alhazred to add a desk.” he said casually.

“A desk was necessary for my studies.” Alhazred added firmly, as if this was something they had discussed before.

“Desk would be nice.” Josephine mumbled to herself.

“You wouldn't get any use out of it anyway, with how little time you spend in the Hamlet.” Dismas scoffed.

He stopped spinning his knife when he caught sight of Josephine's downtrodden expression. She curled her hands around Amani's shield arm.

“Not that that's your fault.” Dismas added. “Fucking cunt of a Heir. He's losing his mind.”

“What did you bring back for him, anyway?” Sarmenti asked. Josephine paled.

“Nothing. I had to drop the pack with everything in it.” she said.

“He may ask for it to be retrieved.” Alhazred said, hand on his chin. “Though...hmm. I have a theory I'd like to discuss.”

“What is it?” Amani asked. Alhazred frowned as he fumbled in his robes for something.

“I've been thinking about the Siren.” he started as he fished out a few papers, dropping a few to the ground. “Based on our encounter and what I've read, I think she may be in command the Cove. A ruler, or sorts.”

“What do you mean?” Josephine asked, voice shaking slightly. Alhazred awkwardly unfolded one of his papers one handed and scanned its contents quickly.

“She sent the fish men after us, like servants or soldiers. Which isn't a wild theory, but I think this may be a commonality between the areas around us.” He flipped his paper around to reveal a map of the Hamlet and the surrounding estates.

“We found and slew the Crew, and afterwards ran into the Siren. I believe that each area may have their own ruling entity and a...second in command, or another, more mindless entity.”

He paused to try and point at the Ruins with the hand holding the map. Sarmenti stood up to hold the map for him.

“We haven't seen anything cross into other areas, correct?” he asked. “Have you seen anything in the Ruins that didn't look like it belonged?” he directed his question towards Dismas.

“I suppose not.” Dismas answered, frown on his face. “Skeletons, spiders and Gargoyles all fit the desecrated cathedral bill.”

“Right,” Alhazred said, moving his finger over to the Warrens. “And what of the Warrens?”

“Just...pigs.” Josephine answered. “You think they're all territorial?”

“At the behest of something greater than them, yes.” Alhazred leaned over to look over the map again. “Judging by the Crew's immobility and the Siren's presumed inability to exist away from water, I don't think these entities can leave their habitats.”

“This seems highly probable, but we've only the Cove as proof.” Josephine said. “Is this all you're basing your theory on?”

“Not exactly. The Collector, as I've heard it been referred to, may have been one of these higher entities in the Ruins.” Alhazred sighed as he gestured for the map, which Sarmenti folded up and handed to him. “Though I admit I'm working with very little.”

“Even if it's true, what does that mean for us?” Tardif asked.

“If we take out their rulers, they may grow docile and scared, I suppose.” Alhazred answered as he slid the map back into his robes. “But otherwise not much. It was just a thought.”

“Well...I hope you're wrong. Not sure I could sleep well knowing I could run into something as strong or stronger than that skeleton fucker.” Dismas said as he stood from Amani's bed. “Speaking of sleep, I'm leaving. Not enough energy these days.”

“We should go too.” Sarmenti said, looking at Tardif with a grin. “I wanted to beat your ass at strip poker.”

Tardif looked at him flatly. Dismas and Sarmenti laughed as he got up off the bed to leave with them.

Alhazred nodded to himself.

“I suppose I should follow suit. Only seems appropriate.” He gave Amani and Josephine a quick nod. “Perhaps I'll see you on the morrow.”

“Perhaps.” Josephine said with a small smile.

Amani and Josephine helped Alhazred pick up his dropped documents before sending him off.

They sat back down on the bed together.

“I was wondering...” Josephine started, fidgeting with her rings.

She lost courage and went silent. Amani reached up to tuck Josephine's hair behind her ear.

“What were you wondering?” she asked softly. Josephine blushed.

“What do we mean to each other?” she asked quietly, face growing redder with each word. “It feels like maybe we, or obviously we care a bit too much considering...I mean I care a lot about you, and friends don't exactly...” she stopped her rambling to gesture to her neck. “Unless maybe I'm reading too much into things, but it doesn't seem that way and-”

Amani grabbed Josephine by the chin and twisted her head to face her.

“Josephine.” she said, voice deep and quiet. Josephine shivered.

“Yes?” she asked, eyes wide in rapt attention.

Amani opened her mouth to speak, but found herself unable to find the right words.

Instead she leaned in and kissed her.

Josephine melted into it; reaching her hands up to clutch onto Amani's shoulders as she closed her eyes.

They worked together slowly, pressing and shifting their lips together to get a feel for each other. Amani's grip firmed on Josephine's chin as she deepened the kiss.

Josephine whimpered as she parted her lips for her, and quivered when their tongues met.

Amani took control, setting a pace for Josephine to follow, but she felt herself growing more desperate.

She felt like she couldn't get enough of Josephine, and it was making every inch of her burn with adrenaline and desire. She groaned quietly into her as she put more force into the kiss.

Josephine whimpered pathetically as the thick taste of copper filled her mouth.

They pulled apart quickly with an audibly wet sound, both panting for air.

Josephine looked up at Amani with doe eyes as blood dribbled from her lip and down her chin. Her face was flushed all the way into her ears and neck.

“I'm sorry.” Amani said as she swiped the blood from Josephine's lip with her thumb. “I got carried away again.”

Josephine started to laugh giddily.

“You just like to bite me.” she joked, wrapping her hand around Amani's as she thumbed at the blood on her chin.

They took a moment to stare at each other warmly.

“Does that clear things up?” Amani asked. Josephine looked away with a sheepish grin on her face.

“Yeah, I think it does.”


	15. R&R

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paracelsus is on edge as she starts to believe someone's out to get her. 
> 
> The Hamlet receives some good news, which leads Barrison and Norville to host a night of feasting and partying.
> 
> After spending most of it under close observation, Amani and Josephine decide to retire early to enjoy each other's company without the prying eyes of others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me until chapter 15 to write a sex scene.
> 
> Also there was a good chunk of this where I was hungry when I was writing, I wonder if you can tell.
> 
> It's also pretty sappy in places, and I'm sorry for turning Alhazred into the "But that's none of my business" kermit tea meme. It fit too well.

Amani and Josephine had curled up together and fallen asleep on Josephine's bed not long after everyone had left for the evening. Josephine was so exhausted that she had ended up drooling all over Amani's chest in her sleep.

They were awoken near midday when someone loudly knocked on their door.

The door was swung open without waiting for an answer from either of them, revealing Paracelsus.

“You were supposed to see me days ago.” She said to Amani, dropping a basket on the floor. “The Madame finished repairing Josephine's clothes.”

Josephine rubbed her eyes as Amani sat up in bed.

“I've been distracted.” she said, voice still rough with sleep.

“Come to my lab. Josephine, Barriston wants to meet you at lunch.” Paracelsus said, turning to leave just as abruptly as she had come. Josephine and Amani looked at each other.

“I don't have anything for him.” Josephine said, brows furrowed in worry. Amani placed her hand on Josephine's knee and gave it a small squeeze.

“You came back alive, and that's enough.” she said. Josephine pursed her lips.

“I don't doubt Barriston would feel that way, but the Heir...” she said, fidgeting with her rings. Amani grabbed her hand.

“The Heir can deal with the consequences of working you to exhaustion.” she said firmly. “How can he expect you to bring back a full bounty when your body's too worn out from doing everything else he's asked you to? ”

Amani let go of Josephine's hand to place it over Josephine's heart.

“Paracelsus said it might be a minor defect that was exacerbated by both physical and mental stress,” Josephine said, relaxing at the touch, “but it isn't something to worry about.”

“Has your heart bothered you before?” Amani asked, a look of concern on her face. Josephine let out a small, sad sigh.

“Sometimes I would think the pain was a bit excessive for heartache, but...” she said quietly. Amani's eyes widened slightly as her face grew more worried.

Josephine smiled awkwardly and laughed as her cheeks grew red.

“I'm sorry; I didn't mean to say that.” she said, “It's just sort of slipped out.”

Amani curled her fingers slightly as she gripped Josephine's chest a bit tighter.

“How often were you heartsick?” she asked quietly. Josephine bit her lip and looked away.

“It doesn't matter anymore.” she said. Amani frowned.

“It does matter.” she insisted, “But it's okay if you don't want to talk about it.”

Josephine nodded before looking back to Amani; her eyes slightly teary.

“Okay.” she said quietly. Amani smiled softly, and Josephine smiled back.

“I think we've slept in too late. We might want to get ourselves ready for the rest of the day.”

\--

The Madame had taken the liberty of using a purple fabric to patch Josephine's clothes back together. Josephine frowned as she inspected it.

“I like red.” she grumbled to herself. “Brings out the warm tones in my skin.” Amani tried not to laugh as Josephine pouted.

She thought it was very cute.

“Purple looks nice on you too.” she said. Josephine blushed.

“I better go. It's about time to meet up with Barriston.” she said, changing the topic.

They both went their separate ways; Amani to Paracelsus' lab and Josephine to the Tavern.

Amani descended the stairs of the Sanitarium and knocked before entering the lab, mimicking Paracelsus' actions from earlier. Paracelsus was sitting in her desk, staring down at a stack of papers with her head in her hand. She was tapping the desk with her free hand in clear annoyance, and for the first time since Amani had come to the Hamlet, her mask was off.

She was so pale that it was hard to tell if she was sick or if that was her normal complexion. Her under eyes were so dark that they looked bruised, and her down turned eyes only accentuated them. Her hair was black and messy, coming down to the middle of her neck.

She looked the embodiment of exhaustion.

“Sit down.” Paracelsus said as she continued to glare at her work. Amani pulled a stool over from Paracelsus' work table to her desk, and took a seat.

Amani noticed the barely touched sandwich and cup of tea sitting next to Paracelsus' mask, which had been obfuscated by the pile of papers.

Amani tried to get a quick look at them, but Paracelsus put her mask on top of the stack to hide them from view.

“How does it feel?” she asked flatly; expression going neutral as she put on her gloves. Amani placed her arm on the desk for Paracelsus to look at.

“Normal. I meant to see you sooner to take the bandages off, but-”

“Distracted by Josephine, I know. Everyone who has half a brain knows.” Paracelsus cut Amani off curtly as she started unravelling the bandages.

Amani realized Paracelsus had a short temper, but she was starting off a bit too aggressive. Something was clearly bothering her.

Amani decided not to ask about it in case her prying irritated Paracelsus even more.

“What were you able to learn from the skin from my last visit?” She asked instead, hoping talking about her work would lighten the situation.

“It's similar to your blood in that it's not human.” Paracelsus said, discarding Amani's bandages in a waste bin beside her desk. “Well, sort of.”

She ran her gloved hand over Amani's skin. It was completely healed, though there was still something bumpy beneath it.

“How is it 'sort of ' human?” Amani asked, expecting an annoyed reaction out of Paracelsus but deciding to risk the question. Paracelsus sneered.

“I don't have what I need to run more in depth tests.” she said in clear annoyance. “And I won't be able to do any other tests if my materials keep going missing.”

There it was.

“Did Damian knock something under the desk clearing it the other day?” Amani suggested.

“No!” Paracelsus shouted, slamming her hands on the desk and standing up abruptly. “Someone raided my garden, and they could come for my tinctures next! A saboteur in the Hamlet!”

She sighed aggressively as she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

“Why would anyone do that?” Amani asked. Paracelsus growled in irritation.

“Someone like you might worry I'd expose you for a monster, or perhaps the religious have decided science is evil again.” she said. “There are endless reasons for sabotaging my work.”

“People already think I'm a monster.” Amani stated.

“And they're waiting for irrefutable proof so they can justify lynching you.” Paracelsus countered.

Amani had no response. They both knew Paracelsus was right.

Paracelsus placed a hand on her temple and sat back down to cradle her head in her hands.

“So much work wasted.” she mumbled to herself. “Silver capped mushrooms are so fussy.”

“Where were you growing them?” Amani asked. She hadn't seen any mushrooms in the Hamlet.

“The outskirts of the Weald.” Paracelsus mumbled; her energy depleted after her outburst.

“Could something from the Weald have ruined the garden?” Amani inquired. Paracelsus shook her head.

“Nothing in that forest is either stupid enough to eat them or willing to venture so far out.” she answered.

Amani nodded to herself as she thought the matter over.

“It would seem to be intentional, then.” Amani said, agreeing with Paracelsus' suspicions. Paracelsus scoffed.

“I'm not often wrong, Amani.” she said, removing her head from her own grasp to look up at her.

“What will you if you figure out who it was.” Amani asked. Paracelsus glowered at her.

“Liberate them of their fingers.” she said coldly. Amani grew a bit nervous.

Even if Amani was positive Paracelsus couldn't beat her in a fight, the determination behind the threat chilled her.

“I'm sick of company. If you want me to, I'll bandage your arm and then you'll leave.” Paracelsus said as she reached into a drawer to pull out a fresh roll of gauze.

\--

Josephine was embarrassed by her failure. She prided herself on her ability to loot places completely barren, and this was the first time in her life she had to completely abandon her spoils. A year ago she would have rather died than lose valuables.

Though a year ago she wasn't in love.

Despite her inner turmoil, she walked to the tavern with a rigid back and a confident forward gaze.

She felt something slide out of her sleeve and clatter to the ground.

She looked down to see a familiar bell glistening in the midday sun. Chills ran up her spine as memories of the Cove flooded back to her. Her breathing became heavy as the bell started to roll towards her feet.

She could feel the pain of the Captain's grasp on her heart. She clutched her chest as she winced and doubled over as the rest of her trip came back to her.

_I won't abandon you, love._

She grew cold as the thought of the Siren dragging her into the deep, dark depths of the ocean wormed its way into her head.

“Jo, sweetie, are you alright?” a familiar voice asked as they placed their hand on Josephine's back. Josephine nearly fell to the ground with how fast she recoiled from the touch.

Audrey backed up, both hands open and raised in an act of peace. Josephine tried to calm her breathing.

“I'm not sure.” she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “I think it might have been a panic attack.”

“It looked like one.” Audrey said, a worried grimace on her face, “You learn to spot them if you spend enough time here.”

Josephine froze as the bell tapped her ankle, jingling upon contact. Audrey leaned down to pick it up.

“I didn't know you managed to bring this back with you.” she said, giving it a once over before trying to hand it to Josephine.

She wouldn't touch it.

The two of them walked together to the tavern, both having been called to meet with Barriston. They both entered through the doors and spotted Barriston already sitting with Reynald, who was armourless, and Alhazred trying to adjust for his broken arm.

Audrey marched up to Reynald and punched him right in the face. A sickening crack broke the silence as she broke his nose, and it started bleeding profusely onto the table.

“You son of a bitch!” she shouted. A few people turned their heads to spectate, and Alhazred rose his eyebrows in very mild surprise.

Josephine was a bit shocked. She hadn't expected anyone other than Amani to be so angry on her behalf.

“You've got a lot of nerve, deciding who's worth saving and who isn't.” Audrey continued as Reynald held his nose. “You're not any better than anyone else in this Hamlet, so don't go thinking you have the right to pull that kind of shit.”

Reynald didn't bother defending himself, and instead avoided making eye contact with Audrey like a scorned child.

Alhazred sipped his tea nonchalantly as Audrey and Josephine took a seat across from the men.

“I'm glad to have you all back; I was under the impression that two of you didn't make it.” Barrison said, ignoring the confrontation and looking between Alhazred and Josephine. “I'm sorry I didn't have the time to visit any of you in the sanitarium. The Heir required my attention.”

His eyes went dark as he mentioned the Heir.

A bark nearly startled Josephine out of her seat, and they all turned to see Sasha and Norville waiting for her to shuffle over to give them room to sit.

“I didn't know you were out of the sanitarium.” Josephine said as she moved. “How are you feeling?”

Norville smiled at her sadly and pointed at his throat.

“Voice is still gone, I'm afraid.” Barrison explained for him. Josephine looked at Norville sympathetically as he sat down beside her, with Sasha at his feet. Barriston passed him a piece of parchment and a pen.

The bartender and someone who must have been the cook placed a large plate of beef sandwiches and a few sides of au jus down at their table.

Alhazred looked a bit perturbed at their meal.

Audrey grabbed a sandwich and started dipping and eating it as if she was starving to death.

“We need an account of what happened while you were down in the Cove.” Barriston said, reaching for a sandwich as well.

“Oh it was horrible.” Audrey said with a mouth full of food. She reached over and passed Josephine a sandwich, who carefully took it from her.

“I can imagine so.” Barriston said after finishing a bite, “But for the sake of brevity let's keep the story to just the key points.”

Audrey nodded, and tried to hurry through her mouthful to speak.

“We managed to find and slay the Crew after a few near death experiences.” Alhazred started, daintily picking up a sandwich to avoid having it drip on him, “And then we stumbled upon a Siren we were not aware existed.”

Josephine tried to steady her hands at the mention of the Siren, but could feel herself start to panic. Audrey nudged her gently in the side and gave her a worried look.

“You okay hun?” she whispered. Josephine nodded.

“I wish we could have warned you. Seems the Heir had information on it, but didn't think it pertinent to your mission.” Barriston said, guilt in his voice. Alhazred winced as he accidentally bumped his arm into the table.

“Certainly would have been helpful.” He said with a sigh. Barriston and Norville exchanged glances.

“I hate to be insensitive, but were you able to recover anything on the errand?” Barriston asked hesitantly. Josephine tensed at the question.

“We managed to swipe this from the Crew.” Audrey said, tossing the bell onto the table. “But everything else was lost in our escape.”

Josephine appreciated Audrey not specifying who had dropped their bag, though she was sure it was assumed she was the one who was carrying it.

Barriston furrowed his brow in worry as Norville looked at their prize despondently.

“Winter is coming, and we need to finish repairs and stock up our supplies quickly.” Barrison said. “The Heir will be displeased.”

Norville quickly jotted something down and slid it beside their lunch.

**It's good enough find. Can sell horses if need to.**

Barrison sighed and nodded his agreement.

Josephine was able to calm down enough to continue eating now that her fear of punishment had been assuaged, though she was still worried about being sent out again to find compensation for the lost valuables.

“Well, I've been trying to convince the Heir that we don't need to be ordering any more missions this week, but I couldn't tell you if that's been considered or not.” Barrison said as he dipped his sandwich; cursing quietly as he dripped onto his paperwork.

“They've been a bit excessive as of late.” Alhazred stated before trying to take a bite of his lunch without dripping on his sleeve.

He was unsuccessful.

Norville sighed as Barriston nodded silently.

“Are we finished?” Reynald asked. Barriston furrowed his brow in offense.

“I suppose so, though...hm.”

He trailed off as Reynald got up and left.

Alhazred watched him go with mild curiosity.

About three minutes later, a tan, middle aged man dressed as a ship Captain walked through the tavern doors, and started scanning the area for something. Alhazred tensed and reached for the candled skull hidden in his robes.

Audrey and Josephine noticed and turned around quickly. Audrey pulled a knife out as Josephine reached for her kukri.

The Captain smiled upon finding their table, and hurried over with arms thrown open and a huge goofy smile on his face.

“Barriston!” He said excitedly, his loud voice carrying across the Tavern.

Barriston looked up from his meal and laughed heartily.

“Is that you, Bruce? I thought you said you wouldn't be coming back this year!” He said as he stood up and met the man halfway, both hugging each other and clapping the other on the back loudly.

Audrey, Alhazred and Josephine put their weapons away.

This Captain was very much alive.

Barrison threw his arm over Bruce's shoulder and lead him to their table.

“Well I wasn't, but I noticed the other day that the waters coming this way were uncharacteristically calm and clear. I figured I'd take the opportunity to sail over.” Bruce said as he took Reynald's vacated seat. Barriston offered him Reynald's untouched sandwich, which he happily started shoving in his mouth.

He reached over the table and gave Norville a hearty handshake and Sasha a nod, then offered his hand to Josephine.

“Nice to meet you lot. I'm Bruce. I do trades by sea. Fish and supplies from around the globe!”

“Josephine.” she said, shaking his hand firmly.

Bruce went around the table cheerily introducing himself.

“So, you say the waters were clear?” Barriston asked. Bruce nodded as he casually threw his feet up on the table.

“Oh yes. Clear, perfectly navigable, wonderful wind, absolutely fantastic!” He beamed. “Went out fishing and caught tunas, yellowtail, squid, all large and delicious.”

Barrison and Norville's eyes went wide.

“Really?” Barrison asked.

“Really. All just around your waters, which...” there was a flash of fear on Bruce's face, “we don't delve too far in. There's something wrong with your fish.”

Everyone gave each other worried looks.

“You wouldn't happen to have any of this bounty for sale, would you? We've not much funds but-”

“Oh nonsense!” Bruce said, interrupting Barriston. “I've been feeling guilty about avoiding this Hamlet for so long, and we've so many fish that we could never hope to sell it all. Consider this a once in a blue moon gift.”

Barriston laughed and Norville smiled wide.

“You are too kind, Bruce!” Barriston said, giving him a clap on the shoulder. “We'll gladly take you up on your offer. Before you change your mind, that is.”

They laughed together.

Josephine had never seen Barriston and Norville so happy. It was a very nice change.

She wondered, did they have something to do with this?

The Heir had instructed them to 'lift the curse'. Was this the outcome of their success?

She looked over to Alhazred, who smiled and winked at her.

She felt a lot better. Like all of her guilt from abandoning their loot was lifted from her shoulders. It was hard to contain her sigh of relief.

“Will you be staying?” Barriston asked. Bruce winced.

“You know I won't dock in these waters longer than I have to.” he answered, taking his feet off the table. “Even with how good these waters have been, I doubt they'll stay this way for much longer; don't want to push my luck. Some of my men have families.”

Barriston nodded.

“Well, I suppose we should get the wagons ready. Shall we?” Barriston, Bruce, Norville and Sasha all stood and went to leave. Bruce turned to look over his shoulder to give the table a wave.

“Nice to meet you! Farewell and safe endeavours!” he laughed.

Josephine, Audrey and Alhazred turned towards each other.

“Well, it's lovely to get some good news for once.” Audrey chuckled.

\--

Josephine left not long after they had finished eating and met up with Amani in the square. Josephine was in higher spirits than Amani, who looked both concerned and contemplative.

She cheered up once she caught sight of Josephine.

“It looks like the meeting went well.” she said. Josephine shrugged her shoulders.

“Probably as well as it could, but something came up that went over well with Barriston and Norville.” she said Amani rose her brows.

“Norville's discharged?” she asked. Josephine pursed her lips and nodded.

“Yes, though he's not exactly back to normal. Still can't talk.” she answered.

Just what Amani had feared.

A cart started rolling in from one of the paths to the Hamlet, which caused the two to turn. The horses pulling it seemed to be having a bit of trouble, as the thing was overloaded with a variety of fish.

“That is absolutely absurd.” Josephine said, eyes wide in disbelief. “Were they jumping onto the ship?” They watched as a second cart rolled in just as full, as well as a third filled with crates and barrels, filled with unknown contents.

\--

There was no way that they would have enough time to jerky and preserve all the fish for the winter before it rotted, so Barriston and Norville decided to throw a feast. The barkeep had to call for the help of the brothel, as well as anyone who would volunteer to help cook everything. They prepared soups, casseroles and pastas, as well as large pot of raw chunks for either grilling in the bonfire the woman who lived in a tent on the outskirts of town had set up for them, or for eating as is.

The barrels ended up being filled with alcohol, so it was unlikely anyone was going to be sober that night.

It was an absolute mess of rowdiness, but for once everyone seemed to be able to relax.

Amani and Josephine started off in the tavern, and were joined by larger group of people, who had to shove a few tables together to accommodate for them all.

Other than the two of them, there was Sarmenti, Tardif, Boudica, Alhazred, Bigby and Dismas.

Amani and Josephine sat next to each other on one end of the table beside Boudica and Bigby. Across from them sat Sarmenti, Tardif, Dismas and Alhazred.

Sarmenti and Dismas had made a point of having Tardif sit between them, and he didn't look too happy about the arrangement.

“Reminds me of my old days, back with my tribe!” Boudica said, already visibly drunk. “Though we ate boar.”

“Aye, it's been awhile since I've been to a shindig like this. Usually ended with a brawl and a hell of a headache.” Dismas said, his feet thrown up on the table. He nudged Tardif in the side. “What do you say, want to go a few rounds later? I wanna see what those hands can do to me.”

Tardif crossed his arms and grunted. Sarmenti rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh.

“How many times do you want that nose broken?” he asked Dismas, who shrugged.

“So,” Boudica said, ignoring Dismas' flirting and turning to Josephine, “how does it feel to be back with Amani?” Josephine turned red and started fidgeting with her rings.

“It's uh, good? It feels like things are back to normal.” she said.

“That's not what I meant.” Boudica said with a sly smile. “Audrey mentioned you were a bit 'love sick' out there.”

“I wasn't!” Josephine squeaked. “I just wasn't used to being without her his all.”

Amani tried to hide her smile as she watched Josephine fidget and squirm with embarrassment.

“It's not weak to miss a lover, you know.” Boudica teased.

Amani spat out her drink.

There was a brief pause before Boudica burst out laughing. Dismas' eyebrows were raised in surprise, Sarmenti looked suspiciously at her, and Bigby looked downright confused.

Alhazred sipped his drink nonchalantly, thought kept a close eye on the matter at hand.

“Am I wrong?” Boudica asked. Josephine buried her face in her hands as Amani looked at the Hellion slack jawed.

“Wait, I mm, I thought you two were a uh, together. A couple, romantically, I mean.” Bigby said, leaning over the table to look past Boudica at them.

Amani and Josephine looked at each other in a panic.

Was that the impression they left?

Were they the last ones to realize they were in love with each other?

“Oh my god.” Sarmenti said, placing both of his hands on the table and looking at them with disbelief, “Are you serious? I thought you two were a thing the first time I met you.”

“Have you two even fucked yet?” Tardif asked. Sarmenti and Dismas burst out laughing as even Amani went red in the face.

“Have you!?” Josephine countered, glowering at him. He pursed his lips as Sarmenti quirked an eyebrow and looked at him, a lewd smile on his lips.

It made sense that people would draw this conclusion, with how defensive Amani and Josephine were about each other, or how they were always together for no real reason.

Or how upset Amani had gotten when she thought Josephine had died.

Josephine reached out for Amani's arm without thinking, and Sarmenti pointed excitedly.

“See!? That's couple shit, right!?” he shouted, looking around the table for confirmation.

“Well, hmm, not always, but...mm, not that it's my business, what you do. Doesn't change things, I don't think.” Bigby scratched the back of his head. “I mean, we're not judging, or uh, at least I'm not.”

Amani knew Bigby was just trying to be encouraging, but he was somehow just embarrassing her more.

“I think we've interrogated these two enough.” Alhazred said from his corner of the table. Boudica stood, knocking over one of her empty tankards.

“I'm going to the bonfire.” she said, before leaning in to whisper in Josephine's ear. “The thought of you under her is a bit too hot for me right now.”

Josephine's breath hitched as her eyes went wide; her body suddenly aching for something it maybe shouldn't in the middle of a crowded tavern.

Amani watched Josephine intently, trying to decipher the look on her face. It made her want to do something she might not want to be thinking about in public.

Boudica chuckled to herself as she left.

Sarmenti slapped Tardif on the knee and stood.

“How about we wander about in the fresh air?” he said, “It's too hot in here.” Dismas stood as well.

“I'm gonna check out the gambling hall, see if the bouncer's feeling charitable enough to give me a second chance.” he waved over his shoulder to them all as he wandered off.

\--

Amani and Josephine stayed a little longer to talk with Alhazred and Bigby, who weren't as nosy as their other companions, and eventually decided to go off on their own to the bonfire.

Alhazred didn't want his clothes smelling like smoke, and Bigby wanted to spend a bit more time somewhere quiet.

They exited into the cool night air; Josephine shivering as a small gust of wind blew by. She clutched onto Amani's arm, but withdrew when she made contact with the bandages.

“Is your arm still hurting?” she asked, reaching back out to gently touch her arm. Amani shook her head.

“No, it's healed. The bandages act as padding. They keep the straps of my shield from chafing.”

she said. It was the truth, but she was leaving out the fact that she was also hiding the strange bumpy skin that had formed in the wound's healing.

Josephine caught sight of Damian in the town square chatting with Junia. Damian noticed her as well and called out to Josephine, waving her over.

“You go ahead. I'm going to see if they have any blankets in the back with the other stock.” Amani said, not exactly sure if Damian wanted her to come over as well, but deciding she'd rather walk into the conversation after Josephine had started talking to them.

And Amani was sure as large as the bonfire was, Josephine would still be cold.

The extra supplies had been stored in the back next to the entrance to the Brothel to be dealt with later, and a few people had already been taking from them freely, so Amani was sure it wouldn't be too out of line to do the same.

She rounded the corner of the small alley between the Tavern and Stable and froze as she caught sight of Tardif and Sarmenti.

Tardif had Sarmenti hoisted up and pressed against the wall as they hungrily made out with each other. Sarmenti had his legs wrapped around Tardif's waist and his hands tangled in his short brown hair as he moaned into their kiss.

Amani turned right back around and headed back to the square.

Josephine, Junia and Damian seemed to be having an interesting conversation, judging by how red and animated the women were. Damian nodded to Amani as she joined them.

“I'm just not very educated on such matters. I am a holy woman, after all.” Junia was saying, cheeks tinted pink as she stared at the ground in embarrassment.

“Why would you need to be-” Josephine cut herself off to put a hand to her temple. “How did you know I had the book?”

Junia looked to Damian, who smirked at Josephine.

She frowned.

“Would you mind, Josephine?” Junia asked, toeing at the ground nervously. Josephine pursed her lips.

“Fine, okay, fine. You can borrow it tomorrow.” she said, pointing at Junia, “But it's a collectible. If you damage I'll make you regret it.”

Junia clapped her hands together excitedly and smiled.

“If you could stop by with it after lunch?” she said. Josephine nodded.

Junia gave Amani a startled look upon meeting her gaze, then quickly scurried off towards the bonfire. Josephine glared up at Damian.

“What exactly are you telling people about me?” she huffed.

“It came up in conversation.” he said.

“What kinds of conversations are you two having?” Josephine asked incredulously.

“She's asked to keep it private.” Damian answered. Josephine sighed in agitation.

“Did you want to head over?” Amani asked. Josephine squeaked and spun around, face beet red.

“That was quicker than I expected.” she said, fussing with her rings. “Did you find a blanket?”

“...no.” Amani said.

“We'll make do.” Josephine said, reaching out for Amani's arm.

\--

They headed to the bonfire while Damian headed to the Tavern. They had to walk to the edge of the Hamlet, and then up a steep incline to get to campsite where the party was being held, and with the lack of buildings as a wind barricade, it was turning into a chilly walk. Josephine was starting to slow down as they got closer.

“...hey.” she said, nearly slowing them to a stop. She was fidgeting with Amani's bandages nervously.

“Hmm?” Amani said, turning to look at her. Josephine bit her lip nervously.

“What if we...didn't go.” she said quietly, face going red. Amani felt her pulse quicken.

“Was there something else you wanted to do?” she asked. Josephine swallowed thickly.

“Maybe,” she said quietly, “you'd like to go back to the Barracks with me?”

A thrilling heat flushed through Amani's body as she considered exactly what Josephine's invitation meant.

“Maybe I would.” she purred as she turned them back towards the Hamlet.

Josephine's shiver wasn't prompted by the cold.

They walked back casually in silence, and once they had closed the door to their hut behind them, Amani pulled Josephine in close to her. Their lips collided roughly as they came together a bit too quickly; making their desire known to each other in their haste. Amani bit carefully into Josephine's lip, causing her to shudder and part her lips as she quietly gasped. Amani licked into her mouth and worked them into a slower pace, wanting to take her time in tasting Josephine. Josephine whimpered into her as she felt Amani place her hand on the back of her neck; sliding it up into her hair to cradle the back of her head. Amani held her steady as she kissed her more firmly.

Josephine had her hands resting just below Amani's shoulders on her chest, with her nails digging into her. She shivered as Amani guided her lips through every motion, and she tried to bite her lip when she pulled away; feeling a string of saliva still attaching them together break apart to drip onto her chin.

They opened their eyes and tried to stare at each other in the dark.

“We need to light the fire.” Amani panted as she caressed the back of Josephine's neck, “I want to see you.”

Josephine nodded and reluctantly pulled away; gathering up a few small logs into the wood stove and snapping them aflame. They burned dim, and popped as Josephine stood up from the fire.

Amani smiled as Josephine turned to face her, and gestured for her to come closer. Josephine caught her hand and intertwined their fingers as they leaned in to kiss. Amani broke it to kiss along Josephine's jaw, enjoying her soft gasps as she got closer to her neck.

She moaned as Amani finally slid off her scarf and bit down and ground her teeth into her neck, her fingers going slack in Amani's hand. Amani dragged her teeth downwards and bit gently into her pulse point, causing Josephine to whine and gasp quietly. She worked her way down, leaving fresh marks over old ones, and bit down especially hard in the junction between Josephine's neck and shoulder. Josephine cried out a bit louder and quivered in Amani's grasp.

Amani pulled away and lead Josephine to her bed, pushing her onto her back and running her hands down her body. She tugged at Josephine's belts, having less difficulty that one would think with one hand, and let them slide off the bed onto the floor as she pushed the front of Josephine's robes open. Josephine sat up to shrug them off and slip her tunic up over her head.

Amani pushed her back down and slid off of her to tug down her skirt and discard it onto the floor.

She looked down at Josephine, lying on her bed wearing nothing but a sopping wet pair of panties, and bit her lip as she tried to calm her excitement.

It had been years since Amani had willingly had sex, and it had ended in her partner's execution.

The harem girls weren't to touch each other without a paying audience, and the master wanted to make an example.

But now she was in control, with the woman she was in love with squirming on her bed, waiting for her touch.

Amani undid her own belt and let it clatter to the ground. Next she tugged off her shirt and slid the hair tie out of her hair, letting it cascade down her shoulders.

She shimmied out of her pants, slowly and deliberately swaying her hips as she pushed them down to her ankles to step out of them. She waited for Josephine's gaze to go over her body, watching her go up and down slowly as her lips went slack and her cheeks tinged an even deeper red.

When their eyes met again, Amani made sure to hold their gaze as she slipped out of her underwear. She climbed back onto the bed and slipped her thumb under the waistband of Josephine's panties, looking to her for her reaction.

Josephine reached down to help Amani take them off; lifting her legs and letting Amani smear the wet arousal that clung to the crotch all down her leg. Amani dropped them to the floor and slid her hand up her inner thigh slowly, veering away from her loins and continuing up her stomach to her breasts, smearing her with her own slick lust. Josephine leaned into the touch and moaned quietly when Amani thumbed over her nipple. Her hand was warm against her sensitive flesh, and she squirmed with each press and swipe of Amani's thumb. Josephine reached out to place her hands on Amani's chest, gently resting them just above her breasts; still working up the courage to touch them.

Amani slid her hand up to cup Josephine's cheek, licked her lips and nodded. Josephine let her hands slide down and cup Amani's breasts, placing her thumbs on her nipples and giving them a firm squeeze. Amani hummed her contentment, encouraging Josephine to continue touching her. She kneaded her breasts a few more times before trailing her hands down to Amani's defined abs. Josephine splayed her fingers as she felt her way back up, resting her hands just under Amani's breasts.

Amani was biting her lip as Josephine's soft, dainty hands ran up and down her body, and tried her best to keep herself still for her. Josephine's touch traveled to her sides, and she shivered as her hands caressed her down to her hips.

Amani placed her thumb over Josephine's lips and pressed down, dragging her lip down and watching it slide back into place as she pulled away. She leaned in to kiss Josephine's throat, causing Josephine to throw her head back to give Amani more room to work with. Her hands went slack and slid off of Amani gently as she moaned quietly; each new noise tied to the swipe of Amani's tongue and the bite of her teeth.

Amani started making her way downward, putting most of her weight on her shield arm as she let her hand travel down Josephine's body as she kissed down to her navel. Josephine was quivering beneath her, shaking harder the closer Amani got to her pussy.

She tried to bite back a moan when Amani made contact and started licking languidly into her, with special attention to her clit. Josephine threw her arm over her eyes and panted as Amani swirled her tongue and sucked her cunt. Amani hummed into Josephine, trying to drag a louder moan out of her. Josephine's breath hitched as she let out a strangled, staggered mewl.

Amani's continued eating her out until Josephine's breath grew heavy and her body started to tense, and then she pulled away; Josephine's remnants dripping down her chin. Josephine whined loudly at the absence, causing a stir in Amani's lower region. She crawled back on top of Josephine and forced her into a kiss, sharing the taste of Josephine between them. Josephine eagerly kissed back, despite her urge to writhe beneath her, and gasped into the kiss as Amani slid her fingers between her legs.

Amani carefully worked two fingers into her, and started pumping in time with their kiss. She used her thumb to press and swipe at Josephine's clit, and reveled in swallowing Josephine's cries up with her mouth.

Josephine was unable to do anything but pant and moan, and could no longer hold back as Amani rhythmically thrust into her. She came hard with Amani's name on her lips, clenching tightly around her fingers.

Amani almost came with her as Josephine arched off the bed; crying _her_ name as she orgasmed.

It took Josephine a moment to ride through it enough to relax herself around Amani's fingers, which were removed with a wet pop.

Amani slid them into her mouth, maintaining eye contact with Josephine as she licked them clean. Josephine whimpered pathetically.

She watched until Amani was finished, then tried to sit up from under Amani, who shifted back to give her room. She curled up against her and placed her hand between them.

“I'm not very experienced.” Josephine said, voice worn and shy.

“It won't matter.” Amani panted out desperately. “I'm not going to last long.”

Amani was so wet that Josephine hardly had any trouble slipping her fingers inside her. Amani moaned as Josephine pushed in knuckle deep, which encouraged Josephine to start thrusting slowly, making sure she went that deep each time.

Amani quietly moaned Josephine's name as she found the right angle and speed, and Amani started rocking her hips to meet her with each thrust. Josephine dipped her thumb down to moisten it, and used it to address Amani's clit. Amani grew louder; letting her eyes close as she enjoyed the feeling of Josephine inside her.

Josephine watched as saliva clung to Amani's fangs as her mouth went slack. It dripped down off her teeth to moisten her lower lip, and Josephine couldn't help notice the hitch in Amani's breath with each thrust of her fingers.

“Say something, please.” Amani said, voice unsteady, “Josephi-”

Her name faded into low moan as Amani lost her focus. Josephine shivered hearing her name spoken like that.

“Amani I-” she started, but was cut off by Amani's desperate whine and tight clench around her fingers. Josephine watched as Amani's entire body tensed and relaxed; the expression on her face stirring something in Josephine core. Josephine pulled out of her gently, prompting Amani to open her eyes.

They looked at each other softly before joining together for a tender kiss.

Amani guided Josephine down on the bed and laid beside her.

“I think I love you.” Josephine whispered, looking at Amani with nervous anticipation. Amani felt her face grow warm.

“I think I love you too.” she said, pulling Josephine closer to her.

Amani wasn't so sure that 'think' needed to be a part of her confession to Josephine.


	16. Spar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their plans fall through, Audrey suggests Boudica and Amani fight for entertainment. 
> 
> Josephine and Junia have a discussion, and Norville gathers the old Warrens crew for a talk.
> 
> Meanwhile, something in town is destroyed, and Paracelsus grows angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in universe it's only been like 2 weeks and I know there's a bit of a meme about lesbians falling in love too fast, but also it's felt like a lot more time has passed with how long I've been writing this.   
> Also I don't know why I always want to capitalize Bardiche. 
> 
> Also also, there's a big cliche in this that I love, even if it is overused and goofy.
> 
> It's starting to get harder to name new chapters

Amani and Josephine lied together on top of the sheets on the bed, facing each other and listening to the quiet pops of the fire. Josephine was playing with a strand of Amani's hair absentmindedly.

“Why don't you ever wear your hair down? It's very pretty.” she said.

“It gets in the way.” Amani answered quietly, still basking in the afterglow of sex. Josephine twirled the strand around her finger and watched it unravel as she let go.

“Would you let me braid it sometime?” she asked, a faint blush on her cheeks. Amani smiled warmly.

“Sure.” She reached out and ran her fingers over Josephine's bicep, gently touching the fresh scar.

“Why did this one scar and not the others?” she asked.

“Alhazred healed those before we left the cove.” Josephine said, furrowing her brow slightly.

Amani continued to trace along the scar, feeling the roughness against Josephine's soft skin. She let her eyes wander to her neck.

“It's a very good thing you wear a scarf.” Amani laughed quietly. Josephine turned bright red as Amani moved her hand to rest it on her neck; running her thumb over a particularly dark bite mark.

“It's not my fault you're so...mouthy.” Josephine mumbled, cheeks growing hotter by the second. Amani laughed a little louder.

“Would you that I wasn't?” she teased, “I thought you liked my mouth on you.”

Josephine bit her lip as she cast a not so subtle glance at Amani's purposely bared teeth. Amani took her teasing a bit farther and licked her fangs. Josephine squirmed in place.

Amani shifted a little closer to Josephine to place their foreheads together.

“What do you want to do now?” Josephine asked. Amani hummed in thought.

“Let's get under the covers before someone barges in.” She chuckled. Josephine laughed as well.

“You think they would tonight?” she said as they got up to get under the sheets proper.

“Hard to say. Some people around here don't know how to knock, but...” Amani felt her cheeks grow a bit warm, “they were teasing us a bit. Maybe they'll know to leave us alone tonight.”

Josephine curled up against Amani's chest as Amani pulled her in closer.

“Maybe everyone will be too hung over to bother us tomorrow.” Josephine mumbled.

“Did you have any plans for tomorrow?” Amani asked, running her hand up and down Josephine's back, causing her to arch even closer to her naked body.

“Just a quick errand.” Josephine said quietly, “And maybe... more time with you.”

“I think we can manage that.” Amani said as Josephine yawned.

\--

It was another late morning for Amani and Josephine. Despite both of them being naked, they hadn't gotten very cold overnight.

They stared at each other as they adjusted to being awake. Amani leaned in and kissed Josephine gently.

“What time do you think it is?” Josephine asked. Amani glanced out the window at the sun.

“Probably close to midday.” Amani guessed. Josephine cursed quietly and slipped out of bed. She started grabbing her scattered clothes off the ground and dressing in haste.

“I'm supposed to meet Junia soon, and I hate being late. Leaves a bad impression.” she explained, digging through one of her packs for clean underwear. Amani sat up and watched her scurry about.

“Where were you meeting her?” Amani asked. Josephine stopped and furrowed her brow.

“I...hmm. We didn't work that out.” she said with a mild look of worry.

“Her room is on the upper floor of the Tavern, with a cross nailed to the door, though now that she's been feeling better she might be elsewhere.” Amani said. She didn't know Junia all that well, just that she was wary of Amani. Josephine grabbed the last piece of clothing and quickly wrapped it around her neck.

“I'm sure she'll make herself easy to find if she's expecting me.” she said as she opened the door, “I'll see you later!”

“Wait!” Amani called out a bit too late as she realized something.

Josephine walked briskly towards the Tavern, trying not to seem like she was in a hurry, and opened the door to find a few people strewn about having lunch. A great deal of them seemed to be nursing hangovers, and Dismas was in the corner sporting two black eyes.

Seemed he got his nose broken last night after all.

Josephine casually walked up the stairs, half expecting someone to stop her, but no one seemed to either notice or care, so she continued up and down the hall towards the door Amani mentioned.

She gave it a firm knock.

“Just a second!” she heard Junia call out from the other side. The shuffling of papers and the slam of a drawer were followed by hurried footsteps, before the door opened. Junia popped her head out, face a bit flushed.

“Oh, Josephine.” she said, eyes widening as her face got a little redder. “Is...is the green new? It looks familiar.”

“What?” Josephine asked bluntly, completely caught off guard.

Junia pointed to her scarf. Josephine pulled it back to get a better look and went red.

She had accidentally grabbed Amani's sash instead of her scarf.

_How the fuck did I overlook bright green?_

“Would you like to come in?” Junia said, stepping back and opening the door fully. Josephine wasn't expecting the invitation.

“I suppose I have time.” she said, stepping past Junia and into her room. Junia shut the door behind them and gestured towards a chair by the fire.

“Take a seat, please.” she said nervously as she latched the door behind them. She pulled up a chair from her desk and sat across form Josephine. Josephine pulled out the blue bound book and passed it to Junia.

“Here. I'd like it back within the week.” She said sternly. She still wasn't sure why she agreed to lend it out.

Junia took it gingerly and placed it into a drawer in her desk, next to a worn black journal, and locked it with a key she produced from her robes. She then sat back down across from Josephine.

“I wanted to talk to you a bit.” She started, staring nervously at her hands crossed in her lap. Josephine furrowed her brow.

“What about?” she asked. Junia pursed her lips and scrunched up her face as she thought.

“You...you spend a lot of time with Amani.” she said, fidgeting with her hands, “I was wondering a few things about her.” Josephine glared at her in suspicion.

“I'm not much for gossip.” she said, unsure of where Junia was going with this. Junia looked up at her and blushed in shame.

“I'm sorry. I...I suppose I'm just curious.” she said quietly. Josephine knew this was a good opportunity to see how Junia felt about Amani, and perhaps find out if Reynald told Junia anything about leaving Amani alone like she had asked him to during their Cove expedition.

She was also picking up that Junia might like to be embarrassed, but it was too soon to tell.

“I'll hear you out.” Josephine said, crossing her arms over her lap. Junia nodded, and seemed to grow more flustered with the approval.

“Is she...is she human?” she asked quietly. Josephine frowned.

“What else would she be?” she asked back. Junia looked back into her lap and started fussing with her hands. Josephine noticed her nails were very clean and tidy for a nun. A small act of vanity, perhaps.

“I don't know.” she admitted. “With her teeth I thought she was a vampire or a demon, like Reynald thought, but Damian thinks otherwise.”

“You'd listen to Damian over Reynald?” Josephine asked. Junia nodded.

“His devotion to the light is very pure and he's not plagued with personal demons.”

Josephine nodded at the explanation. Reynald was nothing but personal demons.

“What does he think, then?” Josephine prompted.

“Cursed, maybe, or just a little different. He says vampires have black eyes and are...bug like.” Junia scrunched her face in disgust. “She's much too pretty for a bug.”

Josephine widened her eyes.

“You think she's pretty?” she asked. Junia placed her hands over her mouth.

“No! I would never...my vows forbid...” she started, losing steam and lowering her hands; a deep flush on her face, “well I can notice these things, there's no sin in that.”

Josephine quirked an eyebrow.

“Why are you trying to save face after asking to borrow a bondage guide from me?” she teased, though it embarrassed her to call it a guide instead of a 'psychological study'.

“Damian and I were talking about his practices and the conversation lead to...that, and I was only curious about what he adopted from that book.” Junia said, trying to defend herself. She stopped talking and placed her hands in her lap as she tried to look more dignified.

Josephine could see right through her.

Junia wrung her hands together.

“There's...one more thing I'd like to know.” she said quietly.

“What is it?” Josephine asked. Junia looked her square in the face with curious, wide eyes.

“Reynald said your neck was...he thought Amani had bitten you, but if she's not a vampire...” she trailed off. Josephine blushed.

“Are you...trying to ask if we're intimate?” she asked, completely flustered. Junia tried to hide a smile as she went just as red.

“I wasn't inferring that, I was just wondering if you had hurt yourself.” she said, wringing her hands together nervously. “If they're still there, may...I see?”

“...no.” Josephine answered, silently cursing herself for confirming Junia's suspicions.

“I promise I won't say anything. I am a holy woman, after all.” Junia said, growing bold in trying to convince Josephine.

“A pervert, is what you are.” Josephine responded.

“How dare you!” Junia gasped, trying very hard to appear offended. Josephine stood up.

“Perhaps I should take my leave.” she said. Junia stood as well.

“You'll...keep this private? The book, I mean.” she asked. Josephine sighed dramatically.

“Yes, I'll keep this private...no stipulations.” she said. She wanted to make her promise to stop worrying about Amani, but figured it would be better for her to warm up to her naturally. Junia clapped her hands together and smiled.

“Thank you, Josephine. I suspect you're not as cruel as Reynald has made you out to be.”

Josephine gave her another look of suspicion, and Junia held up her hands.

“I never thought so, especially after Damian vouched for you.” she defended.

“You really like Damian, don't you?” Josephine asked. Junia laughed nervously.

“I-I respect him, professionally. He's very...dedicated to his physical lifestyle, w-which is admirable! And he can think objectively which is helpful in these trying times.” she said, growing redder with each word. Josephine rose an eyebrow.

_Is this how I look when people ask me about Amani?_

She was suddenly very embarrassed.

“Well, I suppose I'll give you your privacy.” She said as Junia unlocked the door for her. Junia nodded quickly, and gave her an out of place, nervous handshake.

She shut the door behind Josephine, and she heard the lock slide back into place.

Josephine headed back down the stairs, and saw that there was no change of patrons, though she was hoping to see Amani. She saw that Dismas was still playing with the rim of his glass, and in the spur of the moment decided to sit down across from him.

He looked up from his glass and quirked a brow.

“Had a good night, did you?” he said, gesturing to her scarf. “Didn't know you were at the wearing each other's clothes stage.”

“I was in a hurry and I grabbed it by accident.” she said coolly, though she could feel her cheeks warming. Dismas scoffed; a smile on his face as he rose his drink to his lips.

“You look like shit.” Josephine said bluntly as he put the glass down. Dismas shrugged his shoulders.

“Bouncer wasn't having my shit and I was looking for a fight.” he explained. “Got what I deserved.”

“Are you waiting for someone?” Josephine asked. Dismas shook his head as he took another sip. “Have you eaten?”

“What are you, my mother?” Dismas quipped, snarky smile on his face, “Why, you buying?”

Josephine shrugged. She got up to go to the bar and make an order with the Barkeep, and came back with a drink of her own.

“You look like you could use the charity today.” she said. Dismas laughed.

“Where's Amani?” he asked, casually looking around the bar. “And what's she wearing of yours?”

“We exist apart sometimes.” Josephine said, though she also took a glance around, absentmindedly looking for her.

“Mm hm.” Dismas vocalized as he downed his drink and placed it back down on the table, “A rare sight it is, though.”

Josephine thought she'd be more embarrassed about being teased like this, but Dismas was just so casual and non committal in his delivery.

“What else did you get up to last night?” Josephine asked, trying to strike up conversation. Dismas played with the rim of his empty glass.

“Other than picking fights? I came back to chat with Alhazred and Bigby but they were talking some magic vs science shit. Couldn't wrap my head around it so I went to the bonfire.” he said, placing his hand on his temple as a headache started coming on. “Can't remember much after that. I think I lost some gold betting on an arm wrestling match.”

“Sounds...fun.” Josephine said. Dismas laughed again.

“Would have preferred to have a different kind of fun.” he said, giving Josephine a sly smile.

She blushed at that.

The Barkeep placed two plates of eggs, bacon and bread on the table silently and went back to work.

“Everyone seems pretty keen on getting in other people's business around here.” She said, stabbing her yolk and dipping her bread in the soppy mess it made on her plate.

“A double edged sword, that.” Dismas said, casually assembling his lunch into a sandwich, “There's not much else to do, but getting attached to people can be a bad idea, considering.”

He and Josephine both paused; staring into their plates sombrely.

“Sometimes I think about braving the Weald and leaving this hell hole.” Dismas said grimly.

“What's stopping you?” Josephine asked. Dismas scoffed as he tapped on his food with his finger.

“I'm as sure as dead anywhere else. At least here I have a fighting chance, small as it is.” he paused as he thought about saying something else, “and...I suppose I can consider some people around here friends. A rarity in my field.”

Josephine nodded as he started eating.

“I've heard the Heir has blackmail on everyone.” She said. Dismas nodded.

“Yeah, he brandished it as soon as I had finished escorting his dick ass here so I wouldn't bolt.” he said angrily. “Didn't pay me what he said he would either. Shitty guy, all and all.”

“Son of a bitch.” Josephine said, growing angry alongside Dismas. “I've been trying not to think about how fucked I'm getting financially, but almost everything I've worked so hard for is going to that bastard.”

Dismas held a finger up to his lips.

“I hear ya, but it's best we stop complaining. This stuff has a way of getting back to the Heir.” he said. Josephine frowned.

“You'd know better than I would, I suppose.” she sighed. Their conversation lulled to a stop, and they finished their meal together in silence.

Audrey burst through the Tavern doors, a huge smile on her face.

“Amani and Boudica are going to spar!” she shouted excitedly, “Who wants to take bets?”

“What?!” Josephine said, whipping her head around to face her. Dismas stood up abruptly.

“I'm in!” he shouted back to her, a big dumb smile on his face. A redhead in a feathered cap stood up from the back of the Tavern.

“As am I. Haven't seen some good sportsmanship in too long.” she said. Her dining companion, a black woman wearing a bandana, stood as well.

“Perhaps a quick look.” she said.

“Alright, head down to the Guild. I'm going to inform the Barracks.” Audrey said quickly, slamming the door behind her as she left.

“Come on, let's go. I want a spot in the front.” Dismas said, grabbing Josephine by the arm and dragging her out of her seat.

\--

Amani grit her teeth as Josephine ran off without hearing her warning, but what was done was done. She took Josephine's scarf and wrapped it around her waist underneath her belt.

She observed the purple on her hips and found she was pining for the old red too.

The red reminded her more of Josephine.

Amani wasn't sure how long Josephine was going to be, so she decided to take a wander around the Hamlet and see where her feet brought her. She walked through the square and to the Sanitarium.

Amani suddenly realized that she usually went to Paracelsus whenever she and Josephine had to part ways for the day, and she had walked to the Sanitarium out of habit.

She entertained the idea of checking in on Paracelsus, but wasn't sure if that would be appreciated. She didn't have a great read on Paracelsus, but she seemed to dislike being bothered unnecessarily.

Audrey opened the door and stopped dead in her tracks, surprised to run into someone.

“Hi hun!” she said as she regained her composure. “What brings you here?”

“Force of habit.” Amani answered, stepping aside to give Audrey room.

“If you're here to see Paracelsus, I'd advise against it. A little extra bitchy today.” Audrey said with a smile. Boudica exited the sanitarium and closed the door behind her.

Boudica gave her a once over and quirked an eyebrow at Amani's belt.

“That's ugly. The green looked better.” she said bluntly. Audrey slapped her on the arm as she laughed.

“What are you two doing here?” Amani asked, trying to change the subject. Audrey held up a book that looked like it was meant for children.

“Boudica's learning to read, and I've done quite a bit of language studies so I've decided to help.” she said, waving the book around as she talked. Boudica shrugged.

“Reading won't catch you dinner or sharpen your spear.” she said casually, “But sometimes words can help where my bardiche can't.”

“Poor thing nearly drank poison thinking it was liquor because she couldn't read the label.” Audrey said, patting Boudica on the shoulder. “Paracelsus was so mad that she started writing lessons for her, however she's a bit too...academic for a novice.”

“And impatient.” Boudica added with a scowl.

Audrey took a good look at Amani as the conversation lulled to a stop.

“What happened to your sash anyway, sweetheart? If the Madame is too busy, I can mend it for you.” she said, seemingly ignorant to the situation, thought Amani could swear her lips curled ever so slightly in the corners.

Amani wasn't used to this kind of attention. Gawking and ogling she had grown numb to, but this cheeky, knowing look was embarrassing her. She shifted from one foot to the other.

“That one looks better on Josephine.” Boudica teased, earning her another slap from Audrey.

“What are you going to do now?” Amani asked. Boudica and Audrey both looked at each other for an answer.

“What if...you two squared off?” Audrey asked, putting a hand on her chin. “They've got practice weapons at the Guild. Maybe we could take bets?”

Boudica gave her a wicked smile.

“I'm game.” she said, putting her hands on her hips and straightening up. Amani thought it over for a moment before nodding her approval.

“Sure. I didn't have anything lined up for today anyway.” she said. Audrey smiled and gave her a quick pat on the shoulder.

“Great! I'll see if I can round up some spectators while you talk to the Guild Masters.” she said before jogging excitedly to the Tavern. Amani furrowed her brow.

“I didn't expect to make a big event of it.” She said. Boudica clapped a hand on her shoulder.

“It'll make things more interesting, and I'm sure people are curious about your fighting style.” she said. Amani reluctantly followed her to the Guild, a little less excited now that they might be drawing a crowd.

The Guild Masters were having a very slow day, what with everyone being too hung over from the night before to do any training, so they agreed excitedly to the match. They seemed even more excited when Boudica told them they were making an impromptu event of it, and took the initiative to clear some of the dummies out of their biggest training room to accommodate for everyone and offered to officiate.

They were very bored.

The brother, Rupert, took them to the storeroom to pick through their training weapons. The buckler Amani attached to her arm was sub par, and the spear was made to be non lethal with a soft wooden tip and blunted edges. The weight was balanced enough to suffice, Amani decided.

Boudica's weapon was similarly modified, but the 'blade' was much larger, and was mocked after one that would only be sharpened on one side.

Similar, but different.

They came back out from the back and entered their training room to find it filled with spectators.

Amani spotted Josephine right away, sandwiched between Dismas and Audrey, who seemed to be arguing about wagers.

She gave Amani a small, confused wave.

Looking around, Amani saw Sarmenti, Tardif, Junia, and two woman she vaguely recognized from seeing around the Hamlet. She found Junia's presence surprising, especially with her looking away hurriedly from her as they made eye contact.

The sister Guild Master, Rowena, rose her hand for silence.

“Has everyone locked in their bets?” she asked. Audrey pulled a sheet out of her pocket and handed it over. Rowena rose her brows. “Pretty close split, with Amani leading by one. A lot of faith in a newcomer.”

Boudica and Amani both rose a brow at each other. Neither of them had any pride riding on public opinion, but it was a little fun.

“Now, rules are generally first one to tap out, take a knee or get knocked out loses. No aiming for the eyes or genitals, you get the drill.” Rowena said as she backed up to the edge of the room. “I'll count down from five.”

Amani rose her shield and widened her legs as she lowered her stance.

“Five!”

Boudica gripped her weapon with both hands as she widened her stance and straightened her shoulders.

“Four!”

“Yeah, kick her ass!” Sarmenti shouted, though no one was sure who he was cheering for.

“Three!”

A few more people started cheering; enough so that it was hard to decipher what was being said.

“Two!”

Amani and Boudica stared each other down, both getting riled up along with the crowd.

“One!”

Boudica was on her a lot faster than Amani anticipated, swiping down quickly towards her shoulder. She threw up her shield and knocked the faux bardiche away, and lunged at Boudica with her shield still raised beside her. Boudica pulled her bardiche back towards herself to catch Amani's spear with the shaft and force the thrust wide. She flicked her bardiche upwards towards Amani's face, forcing Amani to jump back out of her range; the tip of her blade missing her nose by an inch.

Amani dropped low and thrust upwards towards Boudica's ribs. Boudica barely knocked it away with the shaft and swung down at the spear, trying to hook it on the back of her blade. Amani ripped it back, and Boudica only managed to splinter up a fourth of the shaft, leaving only superficial damage on the weapon.

Boudica slashed at her aiming upwards to Amani's spear arm, which Amani threw wide to avoid the blow, leaving her completely open.

Amani threw her shield up as Boudica thrust at her, and directed the blade's path aimed at her chest to over her shoulder. She adjusted her spear so the tip was held farther from her body and rushed in. She stabbed at the ground right behind Boudica's ankle and flicked her spear up to throw her leg off balance.

Boudica quickly slid the shaft of her bardiche through her hands to slam the handle into the ground to steady herself, and used it as leverage to push herself up into a headbutt, which clipped Amani on the edge of her jaw.

Amani disengaged and took a few steps back, hearing the cheering and wincing of their observers. Boudica rolled her shoulders and let out a war cry that sunk the guts everyone in the room.

Amani poised herself on her toes with one leg raised, stretched her arms out above her and stomped back down with her foot as she brought them down. She widened her stance as they stared at each other.

They had been taking it easy on each other up until now, but it seemed that Boudica was done with that, and Amani was happy to oblige.

Boudica flipped her bardiche tip to ground as Amani rushed in, and kicked at the base of the blade to send it swinging up; blade lined up to connect with Amani's throat. Amani twisted out of the way, putting her back to Boudica, and thrust backwards with the back end of her spear. It hit Boudica hard in the solar plexus, right at the tip of her armour; knocking the wind right out of her.

Boudica pulled her bardiche back and aimed to stab at Amani's mid back, but Amani twisted around with her shield at her side and blocked the blow with a resounding boom. The shock of the contact with Amani's shield rippled through Boudica's bardiche and into her arms, causing her to wince and stagger back as she involuntarily lowered her weapon.

There were a few shouts of 'Holy shit!' as well as some cursing from the crowd.

Boudica readjusted her grip on her weapon and rushed in full force. She stabbed towards Amani's chest, but switched target to her hip as soon as Amani threw up her shield to block. Amani twisted as much as she could, turning the dead on stab into a heavy slash that would have sliced deep enough to be a problem. She elbowed the shaft with her shield arm to send the pole arm closer to the ground, and wedged the shaft between the underside of her arm and her shield. She shuffled sideways along the shaft, scraping her shield up it and into Boudica's fingers with significant force. She skinned Boudica's knuckles and forced her hand to slide further down the handle.

Amani then thrust up with her knee and cracked the handle right in the centre; sending a few splinters of wood flying around them but failing to break it all the way through.

Boudica dropped the bardiche and body checked Amani. Amani quickly turned her stumble into a roll and sprung back onto her feet, wincing as the pain from landing on her bruised hip throbbed up her abs and down into her leg. Boudica cracked her knuckles and smiled.

Amani got within range and thrust towards the middle of Boudica's chest, but Boudica grabbed the spear and yanked it towards her side; pulling Amani towards her and throwing off her balance.

She went to sideswipe Amani with her right arm, but Amani threw up her shield and blocked the blow with another loud boom.

A crack was barely heard over the noise of the shield.

Boudica cried out as her arm went completely limp at her side.

Amani went wide eyed and took a few steps back.

_Shit._

The arm was already starting to bruise seconds after making contact with her shield, and she could see the colour drain from Boudica's face.

She took a knee.

“Boudica's out!” Rowena shouted. There were a few cheers and some confused babble as Junia pushed her way to the front of the crowd and jogged up to Boudica.

“You can certainly hold your ground.” Boudica laughed weakly as Junia gently examined her arm.

“It's shattered.” Junia said with a frown. “I know you like to keep your battle wounds, but I'm going to heal this.”

Boudica nodded her consent. She hardly winced as Junia's palms grew bright and the bruising began to fade.

Either Junia had become strong enough for her healing to stop being slow and painful, or Boudica was incredibly tough.

“I've never seen Boudica go down like that.” one of the women Amani didn't recognize said to the other. Her companion nodded.

“Impressive.” she added.

Amani turned her attention back to Boudica.

“I didn't mean to...hurt you.” she said hesitantly. Boudica laughed.

“Too caught up in the fight! I understand.” she said as she rose to her feet. "Imagine what I would have done to you if you hadn't blocked!"

Boudica didn't understand.

As far as Amani was concerned, using her power was overkill. She knew not to imbue power into her strikes if she was not aiming to kill, but she didn't consider the consequences of using her power for defense.

What if Boudica had gone for a headbutt instead of a strike with her arm?

She shoved the thought to the back of her mind before her worry soiled Boudica's good mood.

Boudica reached out a hand. Amani took it and they gave each other a painfully strong handshake.

Junia hesitantly came up to her as Boudica joined the crowd to chat.

“I could heal your hip, if you'd like.” she offered, a pink tinge to her cheeks. “I'm growing stronger, so it wouldn't be a problem.”

Amani fought to not raise an eyebrow at her. The behavior was completely unexpected from Junia, considering how wary she had been around Amani up until then.

Amani followed Junia's gaze to the bruise on her hip, and saw that it had already darkened quite a bit.

Josephine quickly jogged up to Amani, wide eyed and flustered.

“I really don't get the chance to admire you when we fight together.” she said, cheeks glowing red. She gave Amani a once over, pausing at her hip. “Are you alright?”

Amani winced as Junia placed her hand on it.

“I don't think it's as bad as it looks.” Amani said. Junia shook her head.

“No, I insist.” she said. Amani looked to Josephine, who shrugged slightly.

Amani nodded her consent; wincing at the heat that radiated from Junia's hands. Her hip grew hot and throbbed terribly, but as soon as it was starting to grow too uncomfortable, the pain faded away.

She looked down to see faint yellow and green splotching on her skin. Junia removed her hand and gave the area a good stare.

Her eyes wandered briefly to Amani's sweat slicked abs.

“Thank you, Junia.” Amani said, startling Junia to stand up straight.

“N-not a problem.” she said, a nervous smile on her face as she looked anywhere but Amani. Josephine narrowed her eyes at Junia as she caught her gaze, and Junia grew red.

Josephine gently reached out towards Amani's arm, curling her hands around her bicep.

Junia grew even redder and excused herself; scurrying quickly through the small crowd and out of the Guild Hall.

“She... seems to be warming up to me.” Amani said, growing confused. “Did you say something to her?”

Josephine hummed in thought.

“Not especially, though it seems she spends a lot of time with Damian, who she says has been vouching for you.”

Amani rose her brows in surprise.

There was a scream from outside.

Everyone went rushing out of the Guild Hall and into the square on high alert.

Junia was staring up at the newly repaired steeple of the church, which had been half torn off; leaving a gaping hole in the roof and debris strewn about the area below it.

“A bad omen, that is.” Dismas said. Paracelsus came rushing out of the Sanitarium; tripping over the debris that landed on the stairs and stumbling herself into a standing position.

“What is this!?” she shouted to no one in particular, gesturing angrily towards the steeple with both arms.

Norville and Barriston rushed out of the Tavern to see what the commotion was about, and stopped dead in their tracks as they caught sight of the damage to the church.

“What on earth could have done that?” Barriston said to himself. They walked briskly over to the church as the Priest carefully opened the front door and stepped around scraps of wood and brick.

“What happened, Father?” Barriston asked. The Priest looked up to the steeple solemnly.

“I'm afraid I was too preoccupied with prayer to notice anything other than the noise of collapse.” he said, voice tired and sad. “Perhaps we've been punished for indulging in a little vanity.”

“You mean the new cross?” Barriston asked. The Priest nodded.

“A shame to have wasted so much gold on it, as lovely as it was.” he said.

\--

A few people gathered together to make the area safe for walking, but otherwise there was nothing to be done about the steeple. They didn't have the supplies or manpower to address the issue, and it was stressing out the religious as well as Norville and Barriston.

They expected snowfall within the month, and the loss of a warm building could be more of a hit than they were able to take.

Barriston had gone to the Heir's manor for instruction, leaving Norville behind in fear that meeting with the Heir too soon would be too stressful for him.

Norville decided to gather up Amani, Josephine and Damian, and took them to one of the empty private rooms above the Tavern.

They sat around a small wobbly table on mismatched chairs; all clearly retired furniture from the Tavern below them. Norville had brought up a pot of tea and a few chipped cups, and started pouring a cup for everyone.

His hands were barely steady enough to keep the tea from spilling all over the table.

“This is unexpected.” Josephine said, breaking the uncomfortable silence as Norville sat back down. “Though I suspect this isn't an entirely pleasant tea time.”

Norville nodded solemnly. He grabbed the pen and paper beside him and started to write something down.

S **elfish venting. Want to talk with people who can understand. Warrens. Please be patient, trying to keep writing brief for convenience.**

They all nodded as he showed them the paper. He pulled it back to add to it.

**Hard trip for everyone. Sorry for breaking. Want to explain.**

“You don't owe us an explanation.” Amani said. Norville underlined 'want to', and Amani allowed him to continue. He took the page back and started writing quickly, but paused a few lines in. His eyes grew distant as he stared at the page blankly, and Sasha had to slap him a few times in the knee to bring him back. She jumped up onto his lap to stop his hyperventilating, and they all gave him a moment to calm down.

He finished writing and swung the page back around for them to see.

**Was Law Man before. One year too many missing women, worked hard to find, failed. Found lead and traced it back to warehouse by docks. She was there, pinned to wall with intestines ripped out, draped all over body. Nailed to walls. Still alive but too late for her. Whole police force behind it, weird cult. Not me, didn't know.**

**Escaped town, came here. Damian gored in Warrens reminded me of her. My failure. Betrayal, confusion, fear. Felt powerless again, stupid. Overwhelming. Got confused, not sure if there or in past. Memory gets fuzzy.**

**Now fucking voice is gone,** **might** **come back eventually. Bullshit. Too much work to do. Feel guilty.**

“Trauma is...difficult to deal with,” Amani started after she finished reading Norville's story, “and it manifests differently in everyone.” 

Norville sighed sadly and nodded. He wrapped his hands around his cup and stared into it blankly.

“I can see the correlation.” Damian said simply, placing his hands over his stomach. Josephine frowned.

“I think you're taking too much on.” she said, placing her hands together on the table. Norville looked up from his cup of tea. “I don't know exactly what your duties are, but I think this Hamlet...this Heir...is wearing you down.”

Norville's eyes widened and he looked around the room, as if he worried about being overheard.

“Even before you went with us to the Warrens, you looked exhausted.” Josephine continued, “I don't think any of us have any scorn for you for buckling.”

“I think it's too early to give up on your voice.” Amani said with a soft smile. “The Warrens really wasn't that long ago, so give it a bit more time at least.”

Norville took a deep breath and nodded. He took the page back and quickly scribbled something down.

**Thanks. Feel a bit better.**

The conversation turned more lighthearted as they finished their tea, and they decided to part ways not long after. Norville made a point to shove his used papers into his pocket before he left. 

They filed down the stairs back into the Tavern proper, and Amani and Josephine headed back to their hut.

They sat together on Josephine's bed; Josephine leaning on Amani as she wrapped her arm around her.

“That was pretty grim.” Josephine said. Amani nodded.

“That seems to be all this place is.” she added. “But I suppose he's doing as well as he could be, for where we are.”

They sat in silence for a moment as Josephine caressed Amani's arm absentmindedly.

“You're a very...talented fighter.” Josephine said, giving Amani's bicep a squeeze. “Boudica's no slouch either. I honestly didn't know which way it was going to go.”

“Did you bet on me to win?” Amani asked, chuckling slightly. Josephine reached down to pat a pouch on her hip, which jingled as she touched it.

“I'm not much for gambling, but I made an exception for you.” she said.

They fell back into comfortable silence.

“Can I braid your hair?” Josephine asked shyly.

“Sure.” Amani answered. Josephine pulled away from her and crawled across the bed. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it over to Amani.

“Sit on the ground. Hold on; I'll find my brush.” she said as she excitedly rifled through one of her packs. Amani placed the pillow on the floor and sat cross legged upon it; smiling as she listened to Josephine scurry about the room. Josephine hopped back onto the bed and positioned herself behind Amani, with a leg on each side of her.

“Tell me if I'm hurting you.” she said as she slipped the hair tie out of Amani's hair. Amani sighed as her hair tumbled down to splay over her shoulders and Josephine threaded her hands through her hair.

She started brushing her fingers through Amani's hair, starting at the scalp and threading them through to work out any tangles, but she was finding Amani's hair easy to work with, despite its thickness. She lightly scratched along Amani's hairline.

“I can spend some time on your scalp, if you like.” Josephine said, swirling her fingertips along Amani's temples. Amani hummed her content as Josephine traveled upwards, towards the top of her head. She pushed down as she spread her fingers, and curled them against Amani's scalp as she pulled them up; repeating the action slowly and causing tingles to run through Amani's head and down her spine.

Josephine kept one hand working on the top of Amani's head and let the other one slide down to the base of her skull, where she started working circles into with her thumb. Amani let her lips part as she let out a sigh.

Josephine's small, soft hands felt good on her.

Josephine's fingers started running through her hair and scratching her head intermittently; pausing a few times to grab small fistfuls of hair to gently tug.

“I've read that this works to stimulate blood flow to the head.” Josephine said as she continued to work. “It's supposed to be good for your hair, so long as you're not too aggressive.”

She dropped Amani's hair to grab her brush, and started stroking it through her hair slowly; starting by pressing it into the scalp before dragging it through her hair.

“It's been awhile since someone's played with my hair.” Amani said.

“Was that by design?” Josephine asked.

“I don't know.” Amani said, tone unsure. “Intimacy had always been the last thing on my mind.”

Josephine paused to gently caress Amani's cheek, who leaned into the touch.

“I can be intimate for you, if you'd like.” Josephine said quietly. Amani felt her cheeks flush.

“I would.” she said. Josephine tilted her head back into her lap so they could stare into each other's eyes.

She leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

She pulled away slowly with a deep red tinge to her face.

“Happy to oblige.” Josephine said with a warm smile. She caressed the sides of Amani's face; massaging them briefly before tilting her head back up. Amani smiled to herself as her lips tingled from the brief contact.

Josephine started sectioning out parts of Amani's hair and brushing them out before weaving them together. She paused to grab something from a pouch on her hip.

“Still pliant.” Josephine mumbled to herself. A strong floral scent wafted into the air and Josephine continued to work on the braid.

“Are you putting something in my hair?” Amani asked suspiciously. Josephine hummed.

“Maybe.” she teased. She quickly worked through and tied the end of the braid off, styling it to rest over Amani's right shoulder. Josephine passed Amani a very expensive looking hand mirror for Amani to use to look at it.

Josephine had somehow managed to weave lavender into her hair. The stems followed the flow of her hair, while the petals added an accent of purple that coincidentally matched Josephine's scarf on her waist.

“It looks good.” Amani said, twisting the mirror to admire her hair from other angles. Josephine blushed.

“Thanks. I was worried I was out of practice.” she said shyly, sliding her hands over Amani's shoulders and resting on them.

There was a knock on the door.

“Oh for fuck sake.” Josephine hissed, before shouting, “Come in!”

Tardif pushed the door open and stood rigidly in the doorway.

“There's a meeting.” he said.

“Where?” Josephine asked incredulously. “There's no way the Church has been cleared of debris already.”

“Town Square.” Tardif said with a frown. “Now.” He turned and walked away, leaving the door wide open behind him.

“It's probably just about the Church.” Amani said, placing her hand on Josephine's. They both stood, Josephine helping Amani to her feet, and headed out the open door. Josephine closed it angrily behind them, muttering something about privacy.

The sun was starting to set, and with it went the warmth of the day. Everyone was strewn about the square in small groups, either chatting quietly or rubbing their hands together to keep warm. The Church wasn't exactly the warmest building in the Hamlet, but it did keep the wind out.

There wasn't a great deal of room around the broken statue and the abandoned wagon next to it, so Josephine and Amani ended up huddled next to a fuming Paracelsus.

“I'm too busy for this!” She hissed to herself, her arms crossed and her fingers tapping, “I've got worms to check on before sundown.”

Sasha yipped for quiet.

“I'm going to keep this brief.” Barriston said, casting a stern gaze across the crowd. “The Church is off limits until further notice.”

He was interrupted with a few cries of protest, the loudest of which was from Damian.

“Let me finish!” Barriston shouted. Everyone grew quiet, surprised at his outburst. “A part of the Sanitarium's basement will be sectioned off for prayer and meditation, and if you must flagellate you can work something out with the Nurse.”

“NO!” Paracelsus shouted, dropping her arms and balling up her hands into fists, “I'm not sharing the basement with you lot! I won't have you anywhere near my work!”

“The Sanitarium does not belong to you, Paracelsus; you don't make these calls!” Barriston shouted back.

“Pray outside! Pray in the Barracks! I can't relocate as easily as you religious types!” Paracelsus continued, her voice growing louder with anger, “My research will suffer if you bring your divine interference!”

“Enough! This isn't up for debate!” Barriston shot back just as loudly. “Either you share your space or you lose it!”

Paracelsus screamed and went to storm off, but Norville whistled and sent Sasha over to stop her.

“I'm not done with you!” Barriston bellowed, causing a few people to tense. Paracelsus froze in place. Norville looked at Barriston with worry.

“There's a mission.” he continued, pulling out a few papers and giving them a quick glance. “Something needs to be killed in the Ruins.”

Everyone held their tongue, but the tension in the crowd was palpable.

“I want Paracelsus, Junia, Amani and Bigby. Everyone else can leave.”

Amani felt her heart sink as Josephine's grip on her arm became painful.

“Again?” Josephine whimpered, voice barely audible. “Why can't the Heir leave us alone?”

“I don't know.” Amani said, voice shaking slightly. The crowd started to disperse slowly around them; some giving Amani side glances, some preoccupied with their own thoughts and worries.

Amani pulled away from Josephine, who let her go reluctantly, and smiled sadly at her as she headed towards Barriston. Josephine curled in on herself as she watched her go.

Norville came up to Josephine with a very grim, pale expression, and handed her an envelope, sealed with the crest she recognized from around the Hamlet. She gave him a look of worry, to which Norville hurriedly turned from and headed back to Barriston.

Josephine broke the seal and slipped a single page out of the envelope.

**Keep questioning me and I'll tell her about the murder.**


	17. Endless Assault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amani, Junia, Paracelsus and Bigby begrudgingly head to the Ruins on an unorthodox mission they've barely been briefed on, with little to no idea about what they're hunting. 
> 
> They meet resistance before they even reach the Ruins, and meet even more once they start trekking their halls.   
> They run into a different kind of trouble while hiding from another. 
> 
> Amani and Bigby learn more about each other as their abilities are put on display.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try alternating Ruins chapters with Hamlet chapters to try and keep the timeline even. Which might mean each chapter will have a cliffhanger that won't be addressed one chapter after the other. Keep you on your toes!  
> I was very cruel to these poor adventurers this chapter.

“So the Heir is particularly worried about this one.” Barriston started abruptly, shuffling through his papers with a scowl, “And to top it off, he wasn't very forthcoming about why.”

“Excuse me, Barriston.” Reynald said firmly. Barriston looked up from his papers.

“Reynald I did not call you over.” He said sternly.

“I am aware, but I am a more capable candidate for this quest.” Reynald started. “For instance-”

“Reynald.” Barriston interrupted. “We do not make these decisions. You know this.”

Reynald shook his head.

“I implore you, allow me to do this task for the Heir. The Ruins need to be navigated by holy warriors.” he insisted. Barriston gave him an icy glare.

“This is not negotiable.” he stated, “And you are interrupting our briefing.”

“Barriston, you cannot allow these beasts to go alone with Junia, she is still weak-”

Amani clocked him right in the face; forcing him a few steps back as he tried to blink the stars out of his eyes. Junia gasped; clapping both hands over her mouth as her eyes went wide. Bigby winced, and Paracelsus' expression couldn't be seen under her mask.

Norville sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I don't have time for this.” Amani growled. Bigby rose his hand slightly to draw attention to himself.

“Even so, ah, your armour is still at the uh, Blacksmiths. That is to say, with how you operate you'd, mm, die. Without it, I mean.” he said, trying to defuse the situation.

Junia was looking between the three of them, hands still over her mouth in surprise, nervously watching the scene unfold.

Reynald was holding his cheek as he scowled at Amani. He clenched his teeth as they stared each other down.

“Reynald, piss off.” Paracelsus interrupted. “If this briefing takes too long, I'm going to miss my window and my experiment will be ruined. And if that happens,” she pointed a finger at him, shaking with barely contained rage, “I will make you pay in ways that will ruin you for the rest of your miserable life.”

Reynald chewed the inside of his mouth as he weighed his options. He decided to swallow what pride he had left and head back to the Barracks.

“This is getting out of hand.” Amani said as he walked out of earshot. Paracelsus sighed.

“I don't care; hurry up!” she demanded. Barriston crumpled the edges of his papers as he clenched his hands.

“I am going to give you as much information as I can in order for this to go smoothly.” he said, trying to remain calm. Norville placed his hand on Barrison's shoulder, and Barriston took a deep breath.

“Here's what I gathered from our discussion.” Barriston started, “The thing you're to kill is, or at least was, human. I'm not sure of its appearance, but the Heir used 'He' during our conversation. He also mentioned him as a former foe of his Ancestor, so I believe him to be an aged man.”

He looked at his notes and gave them a distressed look; seemingly at a complete loss as what to do with them.

“I...can't make much else of this writing; it's near illegible. From what I can read, I think this man tried to besmirch his Ancestor and survived several attempts on his life, and the Heir thinks the man is trying to...communicate with him...negatively.”

“What does that mean?” Amani asked. Barriston shrugged his shoulders with a look of defeat.

“He mentioned nightmares, whispering in his mind; nothing concrete. I fear this man may not exist, and that you're being sent on a wild goose chase.” he pursed his lips. “...I've made the decision to give you a two day deadline. If you don't find anything that matches this description, you leave.”

“Won't you be punished if we don't find him within that time limit?” Junia asked, brow furrowed in worry.

“...Perhaps,” Barriston said grimly, “but I don't want you worrying about that. Focus on following my directions and let me handle whatever comes of my decision.”

“I'm guessing we leave at dawn?” Paracelsus asked. Barriston shook his head.

“He wants you to leave now.” he said. They all looked at him in shock.

“That's absurd.” Amani said, looking to the others for their reactions, “If we don't rest before hand we may suffer for it.”

“Dark will be upon us soon.” Bigby added, tone uncharacteristically dominant. “Navigating the path to the Ruins would be exceedingly difficult.

“My worms!” Paracelsus shouted. “I need time to collect their data!”

Norville looked to Barriston in panic, as if he hadn't been privy to this information either.

“This order I cannot be so lenient with.” Barriston said grimly. “The Heir thinks this is the cause for his nightmares, and would therefore like you to find your target in the night when the Heir thinks he'll be distracted with tormenting him.”

Barriston shoved the papers back in his pocket.

“I will, however, grant you two hours to attend to personal affairs.”

Paracelsus took this as her cue to leave and walked briskly towards the Barracks. Junia followed suit and scurried off towards the Tavern.

“I assume we'll be meeting here.” Amani said. Barriston nodded.

Bigby and Amani looked to each other in worry.

They walked off to the Barracks together.

“This is highly unorthodox.” Bigby said as they exited the square. “In fact, so far as I know there has never been a party sent off in the night.”

“I've been under the impression that many things have changed since my arrival here.” Amani stated. Bigby nodded.

“That's true, but I believe this may have been inevitable, given the Heir's apparent decent into madness. Your successes may have caused him to snap; realize he could get away with more if he used the right people.” he said.

Amani looked over to him, and noticed his eyes gleamed like a beast in the dark.

“Am I to feel guilty about this?” she asked. Bigby's eyes lost their gleam as he looked at her with guilt.

“Ah, n-no I didn't mean it that way! I was just, mm, making an observation. He, the Heir, he would have uh, mm, pushed us like this eventually. That is to say, get too ambitious.” he said, eyes wide and hands raised disarmingly. “I didn't mean to imply that you were ah, at fault.”

Amani gave him a tired smile.

“It's okay.” she said simply. Bigby gave her an awkward smile back as they stopped.

“Oh, this is you're hut? Right at the beginning of the ah, the path? Does the coming and...mm, goings of everyone bother you, ever?” he said.

“Sometimes.” Amani answered.

There was a brief pause between them.

“I should, I should let you attend to your matters. I can uh, later I'll be seeing you...soon.” Bigby said, giving her a small, awkward nod before heading off further down the path.

Amani took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself.

She opened the door to a crowded room.

Dismas once again sat on her bed, but this time was sitting on the edge with his elbows on his knees. Tardif sat next to him, rigid as ever, and Sarmenti once again sat at his feet; one knee up and the other against the floor as he plucked at his lute.

Audrey was sitting at the foot of Josephine's bed twiddling a knife, and Josephine was sitting with her legs beside Audrey as she twisted her rings nervously on her fingers.

They all looked up at Amani expectantly as soon as she opened the door.

“What're you hunting?” Dismas asked. Amani pursed her lips.

“I...don't know.” she admitted. “Barriston thinks it might not exist, and if it does it's...an old man.”

“What?” Sarmenti asked angrily, “What the fuck kind of mission is that? Kill an old man that may or may not be faffing about in the Ruins?”

“I leave in two hours.” Amani added. Nearly everyone jolted to their feet.

“WHAT?!” Dismas, Sarmenti and Josephine all shouted in unison.

“Why?” Dismas asked as Amani walked over to Josephine. She grabbed her arm and led her back down to sit on the bed.

“The Heir thinks this 'old man' is the reason he's having nightmares, and wants us to kill him while he's distracted with his efforts.” she explained as Josephine curled up against her. “I guess he thinks him some sort of sorcerer.”

Dismas sat back down.

“That man is absolutely mad; I'm convinced of it.” he mumbled. Audrey clicked her tongue.

“Well, if you've only got two-ish hours, we should probably keep this brief.” she said, looking over her shoulder at Amani and Josephine. “Don't want to take up too much of your time, but we can probably answer some Ruins related questions.”

“You're familiar with them?” Amani asked. Audrey nodded.

“I've been there a few times, though not as much as Dismas. My experiences were different, I think. Before Jo came along, I was the resident treasure hunter.” she explained, taking a sheet of folded paper from out of her blouse. “I was going to give this to Para, but she's real ornery right now. Too busy fussing with the worms under her bed.”

She passed Amani the page, which unfolded into a hand sketched map. There were several side notes in delicate cursive pointing to various rooms, some of which were either crossed out or circled.

“That's the map I sketched out while down there.” Audrey explained. “A lot of those notes are only useful for treasure hunting, but the lay out will be useful to you.”

“I-” Dismas started, but halted abruptly. He pursed his lips and stared down at his feet as he leaned his arms on his knees.

“Spit it out buddy.” Sarmenti encouraged. Dismas sighed.

“I...think maybe there is something down there.” he started hesitantly. “I've never told anyone, but the farther down you go, the...you begin to hear whispers.” he paused briefly to swallow nervously.

“Maybe I was just stressed out; I don't know, but the things I heard were pretty far from pleasant.” he looked up at Amani. “I don't know if that's your old man, but whatever's whispering down there is evil.”

The room went silent.

Tardif stood; grabbing Sarmenti by the collar.

“We're leaving.” he stated, pulling Sarmenti off the floor and pushing him towards the door. He pointed at Amani. “You've been to the Ruins. Crushed beasts of stone and an slain an unholy head Collector and...” he paused, lowering his finger slightly, “...held it together. You can do so again.”

He walked out of the room before Amani could respond; shoving a befuddled Sarmenti out with him. Audrey used the edge of the bed to pull herself to her feet.

“Tardif is probably right. He was down there with you the first time, right hun?” she said, giving Amani a smile, “And judging by today's fight, I'd say you're more than capable.” She headed out the door with a wave.

Dismas was still seated on Amani's bed.

“I want to warn you.” he said, voice both stern and fearful, “Keep your team together. Forget your pride, prejudices...whatever else will pit you against each other.” he stood, his gaze still on the ground.

“I'm serious. The things I heard...sometimes I still hear them spoken in the shadows.” he walked towards the door.

“Sometimes I think Alhazred is the only reason I can sleep at night.” he whispered to himself as he closed the door behind him.

Josephine started to tremble as she clutched Amani's arm tighter.

“I don't want you to go down there.” she said, voice wavering. “I know it wasn't as bad as the Warrens, or the...Cove, but...”

She started to cry. Amani pulled away so she could wrap her arms around her.

“Hey, it'll...I'm going to come back to you.” Amani said, choking up as she soothed circles on Josephine's back.

“You can't promise that.” Josephine mumbled into Amani's chest. Amani could feel the fabric of her shirt growing wet.

“You're right,” she said, pausing to try and steady her voice, “I can't. But I can promise you that I won't give up.” Josephine pulled away from Amani to look at her.

“I hate this.” she said. “He could at least send us together.” Amani placed her hand on Josephine's cheek.

“You want to give me a reason to worry about you?” she said with a small smile as a tear rolled down her face.

She leaned in to kiss her once softly, then came in again a bit firmer. Josephine kissed her back; wrapping her hands around Amani's neck to bring her closer.

The kiss was broken when Josephine started to sob.

\--

Amani spent the rest of her time lying with Josephine, holding her as close as she possibly could. Josephine was such a wreck that it was decided that she shouldn't see Amani off; not only to keep Amani from breaking in front of the others, but to keep up their morale as well.

To compensate, Amani insisted Josephine keep her sash until she came back.

She walked to the square alone in the dark; a thrill of fear suddenly running through her. This was her first time going off without Josephine, and when Josephine was forced to go off on her own, she came back minutes away from death.

Amani wasn't sure if anyone going with her would be as selfless as Alhazred if something were to befall her.

Junia was already in the square along side Barriston and Paracelsus. Junia was holding herself and rubbing her arms nervously as she looked around, and Paracelsus was fussing with the vials and pouches attached to her belt. Barriston nodded at Amani as she joined them.

It looked like no one was seeing them off tonight. Perhaps it was too grim a task to see off a group going on such an uncertain quest. Perhaps they didn't know they were leaving in the night. 

Junia was giving Amani nervous stares, though Amani couldn't tell if they were inspired by fear or something else.

She could see the expression change undoubtedly to fear when Bigby joined them.

“Oh I didn't ah, make you wait, I hope.” he said to them all. Junia shrunk in on herself and Paracelsus made no outward reaction.

“No, you've all been timely; more so than I expected.” Barriston said as he went through his notes. He seemed worried at first, but after cycling through the pages twice, he sighed in defeat.

“I have nothing for you.” he said. “Not even a map. This is...ill conceived at best.”

“This is a bad pep talk.” Paracelsus said flatly. Barriston frowned.

“You're right; this isn't helping.” he said, pocketing the papers. “You've all been to the Ruins at least once, so this shouldn't be as difficult as I'm making it out to be. Now, I've taken the liberty of selecting and preparing your gear. Figured I should try to help somehow.”

He gave them all a humourless smile as they gathered their gear. The burden of carrying it was split between Bigby and Amani; They didn't want to push Junia, and Paracelsus insisted that carrying too much would hurt the shoulder of her throwing arm.

Amani was feeling a great deal of respect towards Josephine at that moment.

They took the walk to the Ruins slowly, not wanting to risk a twisted ankle or a surprise attack from a bold beast or two. Bigby held their torch aloft, taking point for them while Amani covered their rear.

They heard a shriek not too far in the distance.

“What is that?” Junia hissed quietly. Paracelsus shushed her.

They stood still a moment, trying to listen.

They heard a flapping growing louder, heading towards them, followed by the creaking of a tree straining under the weight of something.

Amani swore she could feel the gaze of something gruesome upon her back.

There was another flap, followed by a large gust of wind behind her.

“Run!” she shouted. Bigby grabbed Junia's arm and broke into a sprint, forcing her to keep pace with him. Paracelsus bolted behind them with surprising speed, and Amani followed on her heels.

The wind grew stronger, and in an instant a giant, black shadow flew over their heads, barely grazing Bigby's head with something sharp. They heard the thing flap in place above them, and dive back down.

They all dropped to the ground as it swooped in; Bigby forcing Junia down with him and Amani tackling Paracelsus into the dirt path. Bigby was the first one up, grabbing Junia by the collar and tossing her in front of him as he quickly found his footing. Amani was on her feet in a flash, and Paracelsus crawled forward as she stood; stumbling up into a sprint.

The shadow let out an ear splitting screech that caused all of them to lose their balance as their ears rung in protest.

“Follow me!” Bigby shouted, dropping the torch and scooping up Junia to run full speed ahead. Amani and Paracelsus had trouble following him in the dark.

Amani concentrated, trying to spot Bigby's heat trail. Reds and oranges flitted in and out of her vision, creating a fog and giving her a headache until they focused in, and she could see the warm bodies of her companions before her. Paracelsus grabbed her wrist.

“Don't slow down you imbecile!” she shouted as she tried to pull Amani along. Amani grabbed her wrist back and outran her, switching positions and pulling the smaller woman behind her as she started gaining on Bigby.

They scaled the steep incline and came to one of the dilapidated doorways to the Ruins. Bigby threw himself against the crumbling wooden doors; shielding Junia with his body as he crashed through them and tumbled into the entrance hall. Amani used her momentum to throw Paracelsus forward, who jumped through the door to land unsteadily on her feet; losing her balance and slamming into the wall.

The large shadow dove in from the side and grabbed Amani by the backpack. Amani was torn violently to the side as her feet were dragged across the ground. She dropped her spear and swung her arms back to slip out of the straps, but the left strap caught on her shield.

The pack was ripped violently from her as she was dragged off the ground, separating the shield from her arm as she fell to the earth. She quickly scurried across the ground to grab her shield and spear, and bolted for the door.

She tripped over the splintered wood and landed hard on her shoulder.

They heard a shriek recede into the night.

“What was that!?” Junia shouted as she scrambled to her feet.

“I don't know.” Amani panted from her place on the ground. She winced as she rose to her knees. “Something too large and quick for us to handle.”

Junia walked over to Amani to help her to her feet. Paracelsus quickly elbowed her out of the way and put herself between Junia and Amani.

“Let me bandage this.” she said as she whipped a roll of gauze out of her pocket, and started replacing bandages that were torn when the shield was ripped from Amani's arm. Amani hadn't even noticed they had been damaged, and she grew cold when she saw the exposed skin.

It was now visibly jagged, as if it had been stretched over a patch of gravel.

For whatever reason, Paracelsus was trying to hide this from Junia. Junia frowned at Paracelsus as she backed off; flinching as she bumped into Bigby. He rose his hands as she scurried away from him.

“Is everyone alright?” he asked, looking them all over. Amani and Junia both nodded. Paracelsus scoffed, but gave no other response.

“Oh no, Amani, your pack...” Junia said, eyes wide with worry. Amani sucked her teeth as Paracelsus tried to strap her shield back onto her arm.

“There was no saving it.” She said sternly. Junia furrowed her brow slightly.

“What did we lose?” she asked.

“Food, holy water, skeleton keys and at least two sleeping bags.” Paracelsus answered, putting her hands on her hips, “And I think some laudanum as well.

“How much food?” Amani asked.

“Half at the very least.” Paracelsus answered. “It was split between the two packs. This isn't the first time supplies have been lost on an expedition; we pack differently now.”

Bigby sighed and held a hand to his stomach.

“Ah, losing rations is, mm, unfortunate. My metabolism is ah...abnormally high.” he said with a gentle frown. Paracelsus clicked her tongue.

“Well, what's the plan?” she asked. She was met with silence. “Are you serious? Does nobody have anything?”

“Do you?” Junia snapped. Paracelsus scoffed.

“Stop.” Amani interrupted, reaching into her makeshift sash to pull out Audrey's map. “I have something to work with.”

They all crowded around her as she tried to unfold the paper, using her shield as a sturdy surface to place it upon as she did so.

“I think we're here.” Amani said, holding the page with her forearm as she tapped on the map. “So I think this becomes a matter of finding a way into the lower levels, starting from this path.”

“Why the lower levels?” Paracelsus asked. Amani furrowed her brow and frowned.

“Dismas said something that worried me, about whispers from the bowels of this place.” she started, looking up at her companions, “It could be related to this old man; this...tormentor of dreams.”

“What kind of whispers?” Junia asked fearfully.

“He...had difficulty talking about them. He called them evil; said they still torment him in the night.”

Junia clutched her bible closer to her as Bigby scratched his stubbled chin nervously. Paracelsus leaned over to get a better look at the map.

“It looks like Audrey's marked off something here that could be stairs.” she said, tapping on a square quite a distance away from them. “And yes, I can tell that's Audrey's writing. Why did she give you the map instead of me?”

“You were busy. You can carry it if you like.” Amani said as she folded up the map. Paracelsus snatched it out of her hand.

“I can unfold it faster and you should be more focused on offense.” she said bluntly. Amani nodded, relenting to her as she cradled her head in her hand.

“What's wrong?” Junia asked, placing her hand on Amani's back.

“Must have bumped my head jumping through the door.” she lied. She figured the migraine was from the strain of trying to use an ability she hadn't been training; she had only looked for heat signatures once before, and it hadn't been all that useful.

Perhaps this wasn't something she could rely on.

“I hope we ah, still have torches.” Bigby said as he rustled through his pack. He frowned as two torches fell out of the pack. “Ah.”

“I can light our way.” Junia said, raising her mace up like a torch, “We should save those for now.”

She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer; channeling light into her mace. Bigby packed the bag back up and slung it back over his shoulder.

“Well, I suppose we should mm, get going, for now. Not stand in one place for too long.” he said, trying to tuck his hair behind his ear. It ended up sticking to his cheek, and he had to run his fingers through it to separate it from his skin.

It was coated in blood from a gash on his cheekbone.

“Oh.” he said as he pulled his hand away. “I suppose it mm, got me a little.”

Junia held her mace up to his face to get a better look, and he winced away from the light. Blood had run all the way down his face and was dripping onto his exposed chest.

“It's pretty deep, but...as cruel as this is, I'd like to leave it. I'm still weak, and I've already healed a shattered arm today, so I'd like to...reserve myself just in case.” she explained. Bigby smiled at her.

“I understand. I can heal it myself if I ah-” the smiled faded from his face as he watched Junia's face fall into a look of horror, “...well, if it comes to, hmm. I'll...it's okay.” he finished, taking a step back from Junia.

“Let's go already.” Paracelsus said.

\--

If the map was correct, the stairs were nearly on the complete opposite side of the floor as them. Junia walked in front, holding her mace out for light, and beside her was Amani. Paracelsus and Bigby walked together behind them, chatting quietly.

Amani felt this was a bit too casual.

“So...the last time you were here, you...you killed...”Junia said, voice wavering quietly. She couldn't seem to finish her sentence.

“Yes.” Amani answered, knowing what Junia was getting at.

The Collector.

“...how?” Junia whispered, casting Amani a look of fearful awe. Amani kept her gaze ahead of them.

“With great difficulty.” she said, furrowing her brow, “And help.”

Amani grew concerned as she heard Paracelsus and Bigby's conversation turn into a quiet argument.

“How deep have you gone before?” Amani asked Junia. Junia's face went beet red.

“W-what do you mean? I haven't...I wouldn't...” she stammered, going redder by the second. Amani looked at her; brows furrowed in confusion.

“I mean how deep have you gone into the Ruins.” she said. “What did you think I meant?”

Junia looked away from Amani.

“I thought...n-nevermind.” she said timidly. “I've been a floor down, but I've never ventured farther than that. What about you?”

Amani shook her head.

“We've gone about as far as I've been already.” she said.

“I need to know!” Paracelsus shouted behind them. Amani and Junia whipped around to face her. Bigby was holding his finger up to his lips nervously.

“Paracelsus, please.” he said, looking around the hall for movement, “We're going to attract attention.”

“I can't do the experiment without you!” she said a bit more quietly, but still loud enough to echo down the hallways.

“You need to be quiet.” Amani growled angrily. “Your conversation is over.”

She glared at Paracelsus; seeing nothing but her own reflection in her mask's eyes. She noticed the tiniest bit of movement in them.

Amani whipped around and threw her shield up to block her head. An arrow shattered against it, sending scraps of wood and iron clattering to the floor.

“We need to close in!” Amani shouted to the others before bolting down the hall.

“Wait!” Bigby called out, but Amani was already approaching her target. She threw up her shield to block a second arrow that shot from a crossbow affixed to a kneeling, emaciated skeleton, and once she was in range she stabbed quickly into its skull. There was a puff of dust as its head jolted back, jaw rattling loose against it, and went still.

It snapped its head forward abruptly, causing its helmet to shift backwards, and twisted it in one quick and rigid movement towards Amani. It went to raise itself from its kneeling position, taking rigid, quick movements that jostled its entire frame and rattled its ill fitting armour against its bones.

Amani stabbed it before it had become fully erect, piercing her spear through its chest plate and cracking its sternum. A dry gasp flowed out of its mouth as the armour started to dissolve around the puncture, and it collapsed to the ground in a heap.

A crack of lightning shot down from the ceiling to hit a brittle skeleton stumbling towards Amani, sending bones flying in all directions down the hallway with a loud clatter. They smoked and crackled as Junia lowered her bible. She started jogging closer to Amani as she cast her gaze down the hallway.

Dust was starting to fill the hall as it was disturbed by the rising skeletons scattered throughout the corridor. They all jolted unnaturally as they forced their decaying bones into motion; some crumbling before making it to their feet. Amani took a few steps back to stand beside Junia.

“They're weak, but they make up for it in numbers.” Junia said, flipping to a heavily dog-eared page in her bible, “Don't let them surround you.” Amani exhaled sharply as she grounded herself. She rose her spear and took aim.

The skeletons were scraping and stumbling against each other in their haste to reach Amani and Junia. Amani waited for four of them to line up, and threw her spear; the muscles in her arm tensing as she followed through. It pierced through three of the skeletons and cracked the skull of the fourth, and they all collapsed together as the acid started to eat away at their bones. Amani rushed forward and grabbed her spear, ripping it through the dissolving bone and lunging forward to strike at a lone skeletal swordsman in one fluid motion. It jolted its shield up with a rigid motion of its elbow to block the blow, causing Amani's spear to pierce through it instead of its rib cage.

Bigby and Paracelsus were facing away from Amani and Junia's battle to address the skeletons sneaking up behind them. Bigby swept out wide with his chains and knocked a row of desiccated bones to the floor with a loud clatter, but the row behind them was not hindered by the scattered bodies of their kin.

“Heads up!” Paracelsus shouted. Bigby shuffled back quickly as she lobbed a pouch into the rabble. It exploded in a puff of toxic green; the substance splattering over everything in its range. The skeletons dissolved as they shuffled towards them; collapsing all over each other in their futile pursuit.

“Is that it?” Paracelsus asked with a laugh, “Just a bunch of dry bones every time I come here.”

The toot of a horn sounded through the corridor, startling the adventurers.

The bones scattered on the ground started to shift and jolt back together.

“Uh oh.” Paracelsus said to herself as she backed up from the bizarre, amalgamated creatures forming before her. Bigby put himself between her and the rabble, clutching his arms and curling in on himself.

“Get...away...” he struggled to say as he stumbled and swayed in place. His face contorted grotesquely as his breath came in ragged waves. He projectile vomited all over the hallway in spurts; splattering against the walls, floor, and their pursuers. He backed up as residual vomit leaked out from his mouth and watched the retched, fused bones bubble and dissolve from his waste.

Amani suddenly found herself surrounded on all sides. She ripped her spear free of the swordsman's shield and threw her own up as an aged spear thrust through the crowd to strike at her. A club crashed down into her bruised shoulder as the spear withdrew, forcing her shield arm to drop. She thrust back behind her and struck the shaft of her spear into the fragile skeleton behind her, which broke apart and clattered to the ground.

Another club slammed into her back, knocking the wind out of her. She stumbled forward as the spear broke back through the crowd, and it struck her in her right shoulder. She cried out as it was ripped from her, and threw up her shield to block the slash delivered by the swordsman.

“Oh bless thee light who would strike down the wicked!” Junia shouted as she rose her mace above her. Lightning arced off of it and split into multiple bolts, which struck the heads of the skeletons surrounding Amani. Their skulls blackened as they were scorched, and they froze in place as the lightning dispersed into electrically charged air; sending an uncomfortable pulse through Amani.

“Hurry, fall back!” Junia cried out to her. Amani shoved her way through the stationary corpses; knocking a few to the ground in pieces. She spun back around once she made it to Junia, and caught sight of a skeleton holding a banner that stood in the middle of the hall behind the rabble. It jolted a horn to its mouth.

“In the back; a hornblower!” she shouted. “Get ready!”

It let out another blow.

The bones once again started clattering against each other as they forced themselves to fuse into new entities. Paracelsus and Bigby backed into the middle with Amani and Junia. Bigby roughly shoved Amani and Junia aside as he clutched his head.

“Get...awAY FROM ME!” he screamed. Junia grabbed Amani's arm and pulled her farther away from Bigby as he started panting, drooling and stumbling towards the stunned rabble. He screamed as his face contorted and twisted into a veiny, malformed snout, and horns burst through his forehead; splattering blood all over him. His shoulders rolled forward and bulged out as his knees snapped and twisted backwards to shift his bones into newly constructed legs. He dropped his arms from his head, one now much larger that the other, and let out a bestial cry.

Junia screamed in horror.

Bigby rushed forward with inhuman speed and crashed into the front row of skeletons, sending them flying backwards into their brethren. He placed his hands on the ground and launched himself through the swordsman; trampling him on his way to the armoured skeleton in the back.

It dropped its horn arm abruptly and rose its banner rigidly. Bigby swung out with his enlarged arm and tore through the ragged banner, sending it and the arm attached to it clattering to the ground. The skeleton shuffled back, one full jolt of its left side followed by its right, and swung the horn to its mouth as if its elbow was hinged.

Bigby crushed the horn in his mouth; the skull of its owner along with it.

Junia and Paracelsus had turned their attention back to the rabble flanking them from behind. Paracelsus lobbed two bombs, one after the other, into the back; one on the left and one on the right. Their combined range covered the whole back row in their substance, and they could hear hissing as toxic fumes rose from the rabble. Junia swung her mace and slammed it into the side of an abnormally large skeleton, causing it to explode with more force than was possible behind the swing. It crashed into three corpses beside it and they all clattered and rolled down the hallway. Junia and Paracelsus backed off as the tainted skeletons started getting closer to them; collapsing as their bones bubbled away.

The spear wielding skeleton had waded its way through the scattered bones at its feet, and scraped its boots quickly towards Amani. She had accidentally backed herself against a wall when Junia pulled them away from Bigby, and in her injured state was unable to fully raise her spear. The skeleton jolted an elbow back and thrust forward quickly; pulling back just as quick as Amani dodged the blow. It dropped its shoulder and jabbed back out at Amani's core. She slammed her shield into its shaft and redirected the blow to graze her hip. She tried to keep the spear locked in her shield, but found the skeleton's quick jolting to be too much to hold back. It ripped itself free, wood splintering all over them, and aimed to strike at Amani's heart. Amani dodged to the side and weakly stabbed into the spearman's hip, imbuing her spear with venom. She heard the bone crack and saw its armour begin to melt away, and she shuffled sideways to try and get out of the skeleton's range.

It twisted its torso unnaturally and jabbed forward at Amani's ribs. She threw up her shield and knocked the blow out wide behind her. The venom was spreading up the skeleton's body quickly, and parts of it started to collapse in on itself. Amani twisted around to face her foe and stabbed it in the knee. It splintered from the blow, and what was left started dissolving as Amani jumped back. The skeleton tried to follow her, but the knee separated from its tibia as it stepped forward. It fell to the ground; bones cracking and twisting in the fall. Amani stabbed down into its skull, piercing right through its helmet to crush the bone beneath.

It started hissing and bubbling away.

Bigby was thrashing through the floor of bones; clawing and crushing indiscriminately until nothing moved beneath him. Amani entered the centre of the hall with Junia and Paracelsus, who were warily eyeing the dissolving skeletons advancing on them, though they were all collapsing uselessly before making it close enough to be a concern.

Bigby stumbled towards them, putting Amani and Junia on guard. He slipped and crashed into the wall as he clutched at his transforming head; the snout receding back into his face as his jaw shifted and popped closer together. He groaned as the horns slid back into his head and the skin fused over the entry wounds. The bones in his legs cracked as they twisted back into human form; forcing Bigby to grab the wall for support. His shoulders rolled back and loosened as his arms shrunk and shifted to uniformity.

Bigby vomited all over himself.

“I'm...I'm so sorry.” he said; the back of his trembling hand pressed against his lips as he leaned against the wall. His breath continued to come erratically as he tried to prevent himself from vomiting again.

“What are you sorry for?” Paracelsus asked, tone flat and unbothered. “You solved the problem.”

Bigby took in a sharp breath as he let go of the wall and walked over to join them. Junia quickly hid behind Amani, who relaxed her guard.

_This is the man Damian is comparing me to?_

There was no doubt in her mind that Bigby was cursed in one way or another, but she wasn't so sure their curses were all that similar.

Or at least she hoped not.

“We should find somewhere to hide. I'm worried the commotion we've caused will bring more creatures our way.” Amani said, wincing as she shifted her shoulder. Junia placed a hand over it and whispered a prayer. Amani's flesh began to knit together painfully, and she had to bite her lip to keep herself from crying out.

Junia pulled away, brow slick with sweat as she panted from exhaustion.

“I'm worn. I need to rest if we want me to heal anything grievous.” she said.

“We passed a room not too long ago, or we can take a look in one of those two.” Bigby said, pointing ahead of them.

Paracelsus started heading to the door on Bigby's left.

“If there was anything in here, it would have joined its friends in the fight.” she stated, swinging the door open.

She walked in casually, followed closely by Bigby. Amani let Junia lean on her for support as they made their way over.

The room was large and dusty, with stuffed bookcases crammed against one wall as well as various dubious looking knickknacks scattered haphazardly on the floor. More books were stacked on the mantle of an empty fireplace, as well as burnt out candles and dried out fountain pens.

They all sat together against the empty wall facing the bookcases.

It was easy for Amani to imagine Josephine excitedly scouring them for rare texts.

“Perhaps we should light a fire?” Bigby suggested, placing his pack down and rummaging through it.

“Aye, that sounds great to me!” a gruff voice said from the shadows. Amani and Paracelsus were on their feet in an instant. Bigby quickly lit a torch and held it out to illuminate the room.

Three men were sitting in the very edge of the torch's light, across the room beside a bookcase; their faces barely illuminated by the flickering flame. All three had their hoods up, further obscuring their faces.

One of them chuckled quietly to himself.

“Well now this is a surprise.” he said, showing off his teeth in a sly smile. “Wasn't expecting to run into a few warm bodies tonight.”

“We don't mean to intrude.” Bigby said with a strained smile. “We'd just like to mm, rest a moment.”

The man's laughter grew wicked.

“Oh no, stay!” he said, gesturing to the fireplace, “Light that fire! My bones are getting cold.”

“We've lost our firewood, I'm afraid.” Bigby said coldly. The man scoffed.

“A shame, that.”

Amani, Paracelsus and Bigby stood stiffly as they stared down the hooded men.

“Why don't you take a seat?” the man demanded more than asked.

“I'll stand.” Amani said sternly. One of the man's companions reached for a musket leaning against the wall. Paracelsus and Bigby slowly knelt to the ground as the gunman casually adjusted the musket, showing them it was well within his reach.

Amani took a few steps away from her companions before starting to kneel down herself.

“What've you in the bag?” the man asked.

“Just a few supplies.” Bigby answered plainly.

“But no woods for burning.” the man prodded.

“That's correct.”

“Now, how are you gonna tell me you's come all the way to these here Ruins with 'just a few supplies' and nothin to make fire with?” the man asked angrily. “You making room for trinkets and baubles?”

“What does it matter to you?” Paracelsus asked back. The man shrugged.

“Just curious.” he said.

A tense silence lapsed between them.

“What do you say? He's your type, eh?” the man said to his masked companion draped in fur, elbowing him in the ribs. The masked man grunted and looked Bigby's way.

Bigby's eyes glinted dangerously in the light.

“Perhaps we should-”

“AH ah ah.” the man scolded, interrupting Junia. “Don't think I'm gonna let you off so easy.”

Junia looked to the others nervously.

“Interrupted our rest, you did.” the man continued, smiling wickedly, “And now we're all stressed out. I'd say you owe us compensation.”

“Do we now.” Paracelsus said flatly.

“Aye, you do.” he said, smile growing wider. Amani's grip tightened on her spear.

“We've not much to offer, that's already been established.” Bigby said, glare fixed upon the masked man. He heard him hum, his voice metallic under his iron mask.

“Don't sell yourself short.” their chatty companion continued. “If you've got no goods, we'll take your...services.”

A flash of dread ran through Amani's body, followed by hot rage.

“Pretty bold of you to try and extort a group that outnumbers you.” Paracelsus goaded, hand slowly reaching for a bomb on her belt. The gunman grabbed his gun and pointed it at her.

“Outnumbered, sure. Outgunned, not so much.” their leader boasted. “Now, are you three women going to let my friend have a go at your man, or do you think you can survive a kiss from a musket?”

Junia and Paracelsus went rigid.

Bigby looked more confused than scared, shooting quick glances at everyone in the room and looking down at his vomit covered body.

Amani waited.

“Yeah, I didn't think so.” the gunman said, cocking his gun and holding his aim on Paracelsus. “Now send him over.”

Amani lunged forward, placing herself between the gunman and Paracelsus; incorporating her serpent's dance in the movement.

She threw up her shield as the gun went off, taking the full force of the blow with an earsplitting crack and echoing boom. The room grew silent as a deafening ringing overtook her ears.

She saw the gunman curse and shuffle behind his masked companion, who sprung to his feet; brandishing two large blades of differing length. They rushed each other, the masked man opening with a heavy stab aimed at her neck. She slapped the knife away with her shield and thrust her spear at his gut. He jumped back, preventing the blow from landing, and slashed down with his second blade. It nicked her hand as she pulled back.

The second man entered the fray, opening with a stab aimed at her head, which was deflected when Amani threw up her shield. He aimed his second blade down low to her exposed ribs, which she twisted away from; stabbing at the masked man as she did so. He took the hit in the pectoral, right below his heart. His leather armour started to hiss immediately, and he staggered away from her in a hurry.

The gunman was reloading his musket with surprising speed, and rose it up to his shoulder as he steadied it against him for another shot aimed at Amani. Paracelsus whipped a bomb at him, which collided with this face in a puff of powder. He screamed as he tried to blink it out of his quickly dissolving eyes, only exacerbating the issue with the movement, and dropped his gun to the floor. It went off as it struck the ground; shooting past Amani and striking his companion in the calf.

Amani could hear the faint scream of the man as he hopped back away from her. The masked man, who was now too angry to worry about his fast dissolving armour, rushed back in to strike her. Amani stabbed his companion deep in the chest as he tried to hop away and twisted the tip as she yanked back her spear, dragging the man back along with it to act as a human shield. The masked man stabbed right into his arm pit; spraying blood all over them as he pulled the knife back.

The man collapsed to the ground, whimpering pathetically as blood gushed out of his mortal wounds.

Paracelsus and Junia rushed in to flank the masked man; Paracelsus pulling out a waved blade and Junia brandishing her mace. The man slashed out in a wide arch, skimming his blade along the beak of Paracelsus' mask, missing Amani and striking Junia across the face along her nose and cheeks. Junia slammed down with her mace and hit him on his extended arm as he stabbed his other knife at Amani, who threw up her shield to block. The mace forced his arm down, and he winced as he dropped his knife. His other blade bounced off Amani's shield, pushing his arm back towards himself, and Paracelsus stabbed his chest, now exposed from Amani's acid.

The blade struck an inch deep before he jumped back out of range. The ringing in Amani's ears was starting to fade into a fluttering pulse.

“You cunt.” she faintly heard the masked man growl as he turned his attention to Paracelsus. His chest was gushing blood down his chest; bubbling upon impact with the acid on his armour and causing bizarre fumes to waft into his face.

A chain whipped out from the right side of the room to strike him in the head with a clang, bouncing uselessly off of his mask. The man cast a quick glance at Bigby, who now stood on the offensive with his chains and torch balanced in his right hand. Junia swung out while he was distracted and struck him in the back, causing him to cry out as he arched away from the pain. Bigby lashed out again and wrapped his chain around the man's neck. He pulled back hard and dragged him to the floor with a loud rattle.

“Let's go!” he shouted as he reached for their discarded pack. He shouldered it as he carefully approached the gunman clawing at his dissolving head, eyes now a mush that ran down his noseless face, and grabbed a pack of the bandits' as well. He ripped his chain back, rubbing the masked man's fur hide raw; sending fur puffing out in a cloud around him. The man coughed as the fur filtered through the holes in his mask.

Bigby ran past them all and shouldered the door open, twisting around to look into the room as he entered the hall. Junia and Paracelsus quickly bolted into the hall after him, and Amani twisted around to face the bandits in the room as she hustled backwards after them. She slammed the door shut behind her and kicked it firmly; warping it around the latch in an attempt to jam it closed.

They quietly ran down the hall until they found a collapsed corner of arches and stained glass; moonlight spilling through them in a dazzling array of colour as fresh air blew through the crumbling walls to chill them to the bone. They huddled together behind an ancient fallen beam that had fallen from the roof to catch their breath.

“Oh light, what a nightmare this is.” Junia said as Bigby snuffed their torch. He started rifling through the pilfered pack in silence.

“Bigby, are you alright?” Amani asked. Bigby stopped his rifling and frowned.

“I feel...gross.” he said, growing pale in the moonlight. “And a...type of, mm, revulsion I'm not uh, familiar with.”

Amani nodded in understanding.

“We've got your back.” she assured him. He nodded slowly and returned to inspecting the pack.

Paracelsus unstrapped her mask from her face and spun it around to inspect it.

“What an absolute travesty.” she growled, spreading the slice apart to discover that it went all the way through. She rifled through her pouches for a few rolls of gauze, and tossed one to Amani. Amani shuffled closer to Junia, who lowered her hood for her.

“Do you want this under or over your coif?” Amani asked.

“Over, if you would.” Junia answered timidly. Amani placed the beginning of the roll on Junia's cheek; the gauze quickly sopping up the blood.

“Hold this, please.” Amani instructed. Junia held the end in place as Amani started wrapping the gauze around her face and head, shifting her wrist with each pass.”

“I hope whatever's in that pack outweighs the grievance we just suffered.” Paracelsus said as she wrapped gauze tightly across the gash in her mask's beak. Bigby hummed in discontent.

“Some stale food, booze and a uh, few gems, that's all.” he said, transferring the goods from one pack to the other.

“Was it true what you said, about the firewood?” Junia asked. Bigby sighed.

“It ah, wasn't a complete uh, lie. That is to say we still have, mm, half of it, maybe.” he explained.

“We'll have to make do; worry about that when we come to it.” Amani said as she finished tying off Junia's bandaging. Blood was still smudged all over her face, but the gauze was doing a good job of compressing the wound and absorbing the fresh blood weeping from it.

They spent a moment in silence, listening to the ambience of the Ruins as they finished patching their wounds.

“What now?” Junia asked as a hint of the sun started peeking up from the horizon.

“...we should find somewhere safer to camp.” Amani suggested. They all nodded in agreement.

They abandoned the empty pack and cautiously continued down the hallway, rounding a corner and coming across a still fountain ornately decorated with a figure of a young saint; hands extended in a warm, beckoning manner. Bigby paused.

“Would it ah, be uncouth to, mm, make use of this water?” He asked, looking to Junia and gesturing to his vomit caked torso. She grimaced.

“I...suppose...it's meant to cleanse.” she said hesitantly. Bigby gave her an awkward, closed lipped smile.

“I-if you'll humour me a moment.” he mumbled as he cupped a handful of water and splashed it over his chest. The vomit dripped off of him in wet chunks, leaving the skin pristine beneath it. He cupped water in both his hands and splashed it over his face; sighing as it dripped off of him onto the ground.

“Oh...that's much better.” he whispered to himself. He stood up tall and face his companions with renewed vigour.

“Very nice, now let's go.” Paracelsus mumbled as she pushed him out of her way.

She stopped a few minutes later in front of the first door they happened upon, reaching a hand out hesitantly to the latch.

“Maybe I'll lead.” Amani said, gently moving Paracelsus aside. Paracelsus took out her knife in one hand and a bomb in the other. Junia flipped open her bible and Bigby wrapped his chains around his hand.

Amani opened the door to a grotesque scene.

The room was filled with torture equipment, some still filled with the skeletal remains of their victims; some of which were still a bit meaty. Directly across from the door was a rack with a rotting corpse pulled apart; its intestines spilling out and dripping putrid fluid into a goblet affixed to the hand of a regally dressed skeleton.

Hunched over the rack was the largest humanoid Amani had ever seen. Clammy, grey skin clung to its skeletal form, and its long greasy hair clung to its shoulders as it shoveled rotting flesh into its gaping maw with claws slick with gore. Severed heads in different states of decay were tied to a rope it wore slung around its torso; some of which dripped and oozed down its body.

It reeked of death.

Amani choked on her own vomit as the hot air from the room blasted into her face.

The Ghoul twisted its head around slowly towards her, revealing giant, milky white eyes and a blood red maw with rotten flesh wedged between its teeth.

It let out an ear piercing scream.

Amani felt her stomach sink and her heart palpitate erratically, and she heard Paracelsus gasp behind her. She took aim with her spear and tossed it at the Ghoul's chest. It went to bat it away with its massive gore crusted hand, but the spear went right through it; lodging in it securely.

“Shit!” Amani hissed as it tried shaking the spear out of its hand unsuccessfully. Blight was creeping through its palm too slowly for it to dissolve the hand fast enough for it to dislodge the spear.

Against her better judgment, Amani rushed into the room to engage head on.

Junia and Bigby filed in after her.

The ghoul dropped its hand as Amani approached and swung out with the other, striking Amani's shield as she blocked at the last second. The blow rang out through the cramped room; causing a few items to shake in place. Amani reached out and grabbed the shaft of her spear, yanking as hard as she could to dislodge it. Rotten blood sprayed in an arc as she tore it free; raining down on her as she bounced back. The ghoul lowered both of its arms and gasped out a cry from its bowels that frayed Amani's nerves.

Junia approached it on the left, but stopped in her tracks as she heard rattling from within the room. She darted her gaze around in a frenzy, not wanting to get flanked.

The dapper skeleton's jaw popped open; dispersing the dried gore on its teeth in a dusty cloud. A dry wheeze filtered out of its mouth as it pulled itself up off the ground in choppy, staggering motions. Junia took a few steps back to distance herself from the skeleton as it started wheezing and shuffling towards her.

She rose both her book and mace to the heavens and called upon a bolt of light, which struck the head of the Noble. The air crackled around them as it froze in place; tiny, blinking sparks popping around it. She went in to smash it with her mace, when it unexpectedly flicked its wrist and splashed the putrid contents of its goblet all over her face. Junia sputtered and cried out as the rancid scent of the liquid wafted into her nose; burning the whole way up and filling her throat with the taste of rot.

Bigby whipped out his chain and struck the Noble in the wrist, attempting to knock the goblet out of its hand. The Noble twitched its wrist and flicked the chain around it. Bigby pulled back hard, dragging the skeleton closer to him. It dragged across the ground with a noisy scrape, and Bigby tried to whip the chain back hard to dislodge it from the skeleton; the motion only serving to splash the goblet's contents all over himself.

He dropped his chain and nearly tripped over himself trying to get away from the Noble, screaming and whining as the scent assaulted his senses. The skeleton cackled and started shuffling quickly in pursuit.

Paracelsus stood in the doorway, eyes darting between Bigby and Junia screaming on her left, and Amani trembling to her right. She pulled out an orange vial and tossed it at Amani's feet. It shattered, expelling bright orange fumes into the room; exploding all over Amani and fading out as quickly as they were produced.

The Ghoul ripped a rotten head from its torso and chucked it at Paracelsus, which smashed into her neck; the force of the blow knocking her prone in the hallway.

Junia had wiped the gore from her eyes in a panic, and was scouring for the Noble. It had backed a panicked Bigby against the wall, and was slashing at him with an antique letter opener; managing only a few nicks on his forearms. Junia rushed in and struck its head as hard as she could manage, shifting its skull to twist unnaturally in place. Its jaw popped open as it tried to snap its head around to face her; the bone scraping noisily against itself as it forced its head to twist in its unaligned neck. Bigby headbutted it and knocked its skull off of its body and clean across the room to skip and shatter across the floor.

Amani ducked down as the Ghoul took a swipe at her head; its claws grazing the top of her helmet and knocking it askew. She stabbed at its knee; feeling the tip of her spear scrape along its kneecap as it tried to back away from the stab. She pulled her spear back as she followed its retreat, and stabbed up hard into its chest, causing it to let out a bloodcurdling screech. Amani backed up out of its reach as it started swiping wildly at her with both arms in a blind rage.

Paracelsus clutched at her throat and wheezed as she tried to wipe the splattered rotten brains and clumps of scalp off of her in a panic. She slid herself against the wall and away from the door, putting as much distance between her and the Ghoul as she could.

Bigby shoved the motionless skeleton off of him and turned his attention towards the Ghoul shrieking and flailing towards Amani. Its knee was starting to dissolve, exposing the bone and tendon beneath its flesh. Bigby wrapped his chains tighter around his hand to get a better grip on them, and snapped out with them, aiming for the Ghoul's knee. He struck it in the side, causing the thing to scream and collapse upon it with a gory splat.

Junia screamed in latin and brought a bolt down upon the Ghoul's head, stunning it into silence.

Amani quickly thrust her spear through its thick skull, and watched the light fade from its grotesque, milky eyes.

She tried to pull her spear free as the Ghoul slumped lifelessly towards the ground, but found it stuck too firmly in its head.

It collapsed upon it, snapping the shaft with a loud crack.

Amani's eyes went wide with horror.

Junia broke out in a cold sweat as she watched the fear wash over Amani.

Paracelsus crawled back into the room, still wheezing, and collapsed against the door frame. Bigby hurried over to her to pull her further into the room and remove her mask. Paracelsus motioned at her hood and started clawing at her collar. Bigby pulled her hood back and unlaced the front of it to open the area up, then loosened Paracelsus' collar; pulling it out as far as he could away from her neck.

She tried to shoo him away, but he instead positioned himself behind her to act as a wall to lean on. He reached into a pouch she was struggling to open and pulled out a shard of broken mirror.

Paracelsus snatched it from him and held it up to her neck, twisting and turning her head to see it at better angles. She poked at it, brow furrowed as she concentrated, and at length nodded to herself and put the mirror away.

“I'm fine.” She rasped out, wincing immediately afterwards. Bigby patted her back awkwardly.

Junia slowly walked up to Amani.

“Maybe we should have run.” she said quietly. Amani shook her head.

“Who's to say we would have found an empty room?” she said coldly, still staring down at the Ghoul and her shattered spear. “I'm too tired to spend all day looking for one.”

Junia sighed and stepped away from her.

“I do wish things worked out with that mantle room.” she said to herself. Amani nodded in agreement.

“We ah, I suppose, should attempt to, mm, turn in for the night...or day, I suppose.” Bigby said, rummaging through their pack to pull out a few meager scraps of wood and packets of rations. Amani stopped her brooding to go over and help him sort out their gear.

Paracelsus pointed angrily to Junia.

“Wash out-” she was interrupted by her own wincing as she tried to talk, and an angry, defeated expression formed on her face. She pointed at Junia again, then pointed to her own face.

She rolled her eyes as Junia looked at her in confusion, and waved her over to her. Junia walked over self consciously and knelt in front of Paracelsus.

Paracelsus aggressively poked Junia's bandages, which Junia flinched at.

“Can you breathe properly? I could manage to bring down some of the swelling.” Junia offered as Paracelsus wet a cloth with her water skin.

Paracelsus gave her a look that could have froze a bonfire.

Junia pursed her lips shut and looked away as she let Paracelsus finish cleaning and re-bandaging her face.

Bigby and Amani worked together to set up camp, but were slowly running into problems with missing and ruined items. The wood was not adequate enough to last more than maybe an hour, a good chunk of their food had been tainted with the goblet's putrid liquid, and they only had one sleeping bag.

Amani and Bigby gave each other worried looks.

“We can probably break a few items in the room apart for more wood.” Amani suggested. Bigby sighed and nodded as he stood. Amani stood with him, and the both started scouring the room for anything useful.

Bigby kicked a wooden chair apart and gathered up the scraps to dump into the middle of the room. Amani became distracted looking through some of the torturer's tools affixed to the wall.

There were chains, clamps, pliers, knives and whips of various sizes, all displayed within arms reach next to a table designed with bonds attached to it. She skimmed over the wall until she came across an exceptionally long cast iron brand. She pulled it off the wall and gave it a good once over.

The brand was of a crude, crowned skull; designed poorly and warped bizarrely, as if it was damaged in the initial forge.

Amani placed the tip on the edge of the table and slammed it with the edge of her shield, attempting to warp the end into more of a point. It took her a few strikes to form it into something workable.

It would do until she found something more suitable.

“I think this is ah, everything we can use for the uh, the fire, Amani.” Bigby called out to her. She left the table and joined him in setting it up.

Junia walked over to the door and shut it. She placed her hand upon it and whispered a prayer; a symbol of a cross burning itself into the wood. It glowed bright as she stepped away from it.

“We'll sleep easy tonight...today.” she said, correcting herself. “No evil shall cross into this room.

A nagging fear grew in the back of Amani's mind.

“Who ah, who would like to, mm...use the cot?” Bigby asked as he portioned out meagre meals for them. “I will, hm, I'll be okay without it.”

The women all looked at each other.

“I run warm, so I'll be fine without it as well.” Amani mentioned. Paracelsus tapped her fingers against the ground as she thought.

She pointed at Junia and nodded.

“Are you sure?” Junia asked, “You're injured.”

“You-” Paracelsus slammed her fist on the ground as she was overtaken by pain she was determined to work through, “-heal. Need you.” she opened her mouth in a silent scream as she clutched at her throat.

Junia went to touch it, but Paracelsus slapped her hand away.

\--

They huddled around the fire together, the wood of the furniture burning much too quickly, and tried to stomach their food as they sat in a room reeking of rot and blood.

Junia had chosen a spot next to Amani, and was not so covertly staring at her as she ate.

“I...I like your hair.” she said, a soft blush forming on her cheeks. “Did you do it yourself?”

Amani shook her head.

“No, there's not much I can manage with one hand.” she answered. Junia nodded as she fidgeted with her hands.

“Did Josephine do it for you?” she asked, admiring the lavender without touching. Amani smiled warmly and nodded. Junia went silent as she looked Amani up and down. Amani grew suspicious.

“Is that her scarf?” Junia asked, looking to Amani's waist.

“Yes.” Amani answered flatly. Junia tried to hide a smile at the answer.

“O-oh.” she said timidly, “Will she be mad that it's ruined?”

Amani looked down at herself to inspect the scarf tied around her hips. It was splattered in blood, both fresh and putrid, and it looked like it was going to be a mess of stains for the rest of its days.

“I don't know.” Amani said with a frown, “She was already mad about the Madame's repairs, so she might have already given up on it.”

Junia nodded. She looked like she wanted to say more, but opted to nibble at her bread instead.

Across from them, Paracelsus held her head in her hand as her other one hung limply by her side, still holding her bread.

She looked extremely annoyed.

“You two spend a lot of time together.” Junia said, trying to continue her conversation. Paracelsus slammed her bread down on the floor beside her in a huff and looked across the fire at Junia and Amani. Amani and Junia looked at her with concern.

Paracelsus pointed at Junia.

Pointed to her own temple.

Pointed at Amani and then Josephine's belt, and then made two Vs with her hands and smashed them together.

Junia turned beet red and buried her face in her hands. Amani looked back at Paracelsus blandly, clearly unimpressed with the Doctor's charades.

Paracelsus gestured at Junia in frustration.

Bigby watched with mild interest.

“Are you annoyed with our conversation?” Amani asked. Paracelsus scoffed as she smiled sarcastically.

Audrey had called Paracelsus ornery before they left the Hamlet some hours ago, and Amani was starting to realize that the Doctor had only grown more agitated as their expedition progressed.

“We should-” Amani stopped mid sentence as that fear in the back of her mind grew more prominent. She looked around the room cautiously.

Paracelsus squinted and frowned at Amani as she gestured to her; both hands raised in confusion.

“Hmm?” Bigby inquired with a mouth full of food. Amani pursed her lips.

“Sleep with our weapons close at hand. I've...a bad feeling.” she finished, brows furrowed in worry.

“My ward will do us fine.” Junia said reassuringly. Amani didn't respond. Paracelsus made a shooing motion at her as she turned her back to them and lied down on her side. Junia stretched as she let out a yawn.

“I think I shall retire as well.” She said, unrolling the bedroll and shaking it out for herself. Amani looked over to Bigby, who was eyeing up Paracelsus' abandoned meal.

She got up to sit next to him, passing him the rest of her bread as she sat down.

“Oh, are you, mm, are you sure?” he asked as he gently took it from her. Amani nodded.

“I'd like to discuss something with you.” She said quietly. Bigby's chewing slowed as he looked at her intently.

There was a brief moment of silence as Amani listened to their companions' breathing, trying to find out if they were the type to fall asleep fast or not.

They seemed to both be out cold; the night likely having worn them down quite a bit.

“I...don't mean to pry, but as someone with a similar...” Amani paused to find the right word, “condition...I'd like your insight on something.” Bigby swallowed his food.

“Condition?” he asked; eyes going wide as he gave Amani his full attention. Amani sucked on her teeth nervously as she nodded.

“I am...transforming. Differently than you, but I wondered how similar we might be.” she explained. Bigby shifted to face her head on.

“You...is it my ah, advice, you seek?” he asked. Amani pursed her lips.

“Maybe.” she said. Bigby said nothing, waiting for her to continue. “I...I've been cursed, I believe. By the...something from the desert.” she started, absentmindedly placing her hand on her wrist.

“They unintentionally gave me power, but recently I find that the more I use it, the more I start looking like...them.” she finished weakly, trying to keep herself from shaking.

“You want to know how I ah, control my physical changes.” Bigby stated more than asked. Amani nodded.

“Well, I'm afraid that ah, we might be more, mm, different that you think.” he said sadly, “I can only draw power from, mm, _IT,_ when I am physically _IT,_ if that ah, makes sense.”

“I think I understand. You...have to shift into that form in order to tap into that power, instead of gradually drawing from it and slowly becoming...it, correct?” Amani asked, trying to clarify. Bigby nodded.

“I am ah, two in the same. That is to say, sharing a body, maybe. Maybe we're mm, channeling each other. I don't know. We're both me, but, mm, when I think of the other me, I don't feel like me.” he said, brow furrowing as he grew unsure of himself. “I don't know that I've been cursed the same way you have, but, mm, maybe, but there was a ah, some science involved that may have bordered on....mm...Alhazred's territory.”

Amani nodded to herself. It seemed their similarities were minimal, but she was relieved to find someone who could at least relate to her bizarre problem.

“What changes have you ah, undergone, if I may ask? They're not as jarring as mine, it would seem.” Bigby laughed nervously. Amani smiled, tapping her teeth, and then pointed at her half gold eye. She looked to her bandaged arm and hesitated.

“D-don't...do anything for my sake.” Bigby said, following her gaze.

“I will be more changed when I wake.” Amani added. Bigby frowned.

“Are you worried?” he asked. Amani pursed her lips as she thought.

“There's...something else I'm worried about.” she explained. Bigby waited for her to continue.

“They visit me in my sleep. Less so now, but the last time they did, I dragged them and the desert back with me...into the Warrens.”

Bigby looked shocked.

“Will they follow you here?” he asked. Amani licked her lips.

“I have a gnawing fear that they might.” she said quietly. “But if I don't rest, I may fail us tomorrow.”

Bigby pursed his lips in thought.

“You should, mm, risk sleeping, maybe. Now that I'm aware, I can ah, recognize the danger for you. I'm a, mm, very light sleeper.” he said, nodding to himself. “I'll notice any change right away.”

Amani looked at him intently.

“Are you sure?” she asked firmly. Bigby nodded.

“Yes, but ah, what do _they_ , mm, look like, exactly?” he asked.

“Snakes.”


	18. Infectious Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josephine tries to find cheer in the denizens of the Hamlet, but there's none to be found.
> 
> Alhazred asks for her help with an important task.   
> Someone pays a price for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is on the shorter side; things went in such different directions than I thought they would so I hit a bit of a roadblock. I know what I want to happen in the Ruins, so we'll see where I stand once we come back to the Hamlet.

It was hard for Josephine to watch Amani walk out the door, knowing that she was going off into the night on what she thought, considering what information she was given, was a useless and stupid mission. Her head ached from crying, but it was nothing compared to the unrelenting doom nestled in her heart.

The first thing she did after calming down was pull the letter from the Heir out of one of her secret pockets to read over again.

**Keep questioning me and I'll tell her about the murder.**

_How would Amani react if she knew?_

At the time, Josephine wasn't worried about the moral ambiguity of her decision, but things were different now. She had someone in her life who's opinion she deeply cared about, and the thought of losing her over her past made Josephine feel like vomiting.

He had to go, sooner or later; she had no regrets about him.

It was _her_ she worried about.

The letter crumpled in Josephine's trembling hands as she tensed them. She felt faint; her erratic, panicked breathing not giving her enough oxygen to function. Her ears started to ring and her body grew cold as she let her stress overtake her.

There was a knock at the door.

Josephine's heart clenched painfully as fear seized control of her body. She shoved the letter back into her robes as the door slowly creaked open.

Norville cracked it open just enough to peek his head through. He looked pale and worried, giving Josephine an unsure expression. Sasha wormed through the barely opened door and sat on the floor between Josephine and Norville.

Norville pointed to himself and then to the hut's interior.

Josephine nodded, and he cautiously entered, shutting the door behind him. Josephine had propped her pillow up to sit against the wall facing the door, so Norville chose to sit beside her feet at the end of the bed. He pulled out a paper and passed it to her.

**I know this isn't a good time, but I'm worried about you. I'm not here to pry, but I wanted to talk; see if I could help.**

Josephine took a moment to think; staring at the page with unseeing eyes as she tried to calm herself enough to have a coherent conversation. She took a deep, shuddering breath and passed the page back to him.

She pulled the note from the Heir back out, brandishing the broken seal on the envelope.

“What is this?” she asked, voice raw from crying and trembling from fear. Norville produced a pen from his jacket and scribbled a reply.

**You've gained the Heir's attention. Usually bad thing. I assume a threat?**

Norville was back to conveying mostly key points. Josephine figured he had written the beginning of the conversation a good while before coming to see her.

Josephine nodded to confirm his suspicions.

Norville frowned and continued to write.

**Can I help? Even just listen if want.**

Josephine stared back at the Heir's letter.

“What do I do?” she asked, shaking her head at herself. “I don't want her to find out, but he...am I not allowed to be upset with how things are here? Have other people gotten these letters?”

Norville scratched his beard as he thought.

**Dismas gets them when he gets mad at Heir, warning to stop. Sarmenti got one for suggesting coup, stopped trying after. Bigby for refusing mission. Boudica can't read, had to for her.**

Norville looked distressed writing the last line. He paused and stared at the sentence until Sasha slapped his knee. He passed the note back to Josephine with a heavy hand.

“Everyone's got something to exploit.” Josephine mumbled to herself. She wanted to say something else, but hesitated. “Has he...delivered on a threat yet?”

Norville went pale. His response was written hesitantly.

**Outed Baldwin as “Leper Monarch” for questioning ethics/actively try dissuading Heir. Very cruel, detailed description of past. I won't tell you. Baldwin won't leave hut now. Heir won't just out you, will make show of it. Paint you badly.**

Josephine swallowed thickly as she read it over. She hadn't seen a leper since coming to the Hamlet two weeks ago.

To be so humiliated by your past that you'd lock yourself away for two weeks, maybe longer.

“Do I just...let him get away with it?” she said, eyes back on the letter.

Norville scratched a quick reply.

**Up to you, if willing to deal with secret getting out. Maybe want to come clean on own, like me with you and others; save face. Heir will do you no favours.**

Josephine handed the page back to Norville and went back to staring at the letter.

“I can't.” she said quietly, voice cracking as she tried not to cry. Norville placed his hand on her shoulder. He gestured towards the wood stove with his head as he offered Josephine his part of the conversation.

She took the paper from him and tossed it into the fire, along with the Heir's letter.

\--

Norville left not long after the burning, which Josephine appreciated, as she had expended too much energy that evening. She crawled into Amani's bed and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit her pillow.

She woke late in the morning with an excruciating headache, having dehydrated herself in the night crying. She lied in bed for a few moments as she tried to sift through her feelings.

Josephine was distraught, but she had been able to sleep off some of the hysterical feelings she was having. She knew Amani was set to be gone for at least one night, maybe even two, but Josephine didn't know how she was supposed to spend her time waiting for her. She didn't have anything planned, but she knew she had to do something to occupy her time, or she'd go insane from the stress of waiting for Amani.

Having decided to go find something to do, Josephine now only had one thing on her mind: water.

She fixed her clothes, pausing upon adjusting Amani's sash around her neck. It was such an embarrassing mistake at the time, grabbing Amani's clothes by accident, but now she felt differently. It was comforting, having a piece of her with her.

She wondered if Amani felt comforted wearing Josephine's patchwork scarf.

Josephine headed over to the tavern for some breakfast, dragging her feet along the way. She knew she should try to keep up appearances, but she was too tired to care.

The square was empty, to Josephine's surprise. Usually Sarmenti would be there entertaining whoever decided to stop by, but he wasn't there today.

Josephine looked around and saw that no one was out and about that morning, even as late as it was. It made her uneasy.

The Tavern was similarly empty, save for one person seated in the back. Barriston was seated at his meeting table, surrounded by empty tankards with his head in his hands. By the looks of things, he had been there all night.

Josephine wondered if maybe she should join him.

She made an order with the Barkeep and sat across from Barriston, water in hand.

Barriston looked up to see who was disturbing his self loathing; looking back down to the table once he identified Josephine.

“You look awful.” Josephine said. Barriston laughed humorlessly.

“You don't look much better.” he said in return. Josephine sighed to herself. She knew she must look a wreck, with bleary eyes and a gloomy demeanour. Same as Barriston, and yet different; crying and drinking have a few similar physical consequences. She took a sip of water as her headache began to throb itself into the front of her thoughts.

“Have you been here all night?” she asked. Barriston nodded.

“I rarely sleep the nights I send people off.” he said, reaching for a tankard and frowning once realizing it was empty. “Last night was...” he trailed off. Josephine waited for him to continue, but he made no sign of doing so. The Barkeep dropped a large plate of pancakes in front of Josephine while giving Barriston a nervous glance, and hurried back to his place behind the bar.

Josephine shoved it to the centre of the table and slid Barriston a fork.

He rose a brow at her, but picked it up all the same.

“I don't remember ever seeing you here after delivering the news.” Josephine said as she picked up her own fork. Barriston nodded.

“I usually retire to one of the empty rooms upstairs, away from everyone.” he explained, taking a stab at the pancakes.

“Why was last night different?” Josephine asked, cutting a piece of breakfast off with her fork. Barriston slowed in his movements, as if the answer was weighing him down from within. He put the fork down and buried his head in his hands.

“Because it's my fault.” he said. Josephine froze, fork halfway to her mouth.

“What?” she whispered, lowering her arm to the table. Barriston's shoulders were shaking.

“I shouldn't have gone to see him about the church.” he said quietly, voice muffled by his arms. “He didn't care; I should have made the decision myself.”

“I don't understand the relevance.” Josephine said, seeking clarification. Barriston clenched his fingers around his head.

“He was manic; spurred by exhaustion. He was caught up with researching his Ancestor's notes to the point where he forgot all else, perhaps looking for a solution for his...sleeplessness. Seeing me reminded him that he had a whole Hamlet full of people to utilize.”

Barriston removed his head from his hands to look up at Josephine.

“You know what he said to me?”

Josephine shook her head.

“He said 'Since you're here, I might as well have you make use of those pawns of mine.”

He gave Josephine such a look of such distress that she had to look away from him.

“I watched him write that letter to you as a bitter afterthought.” Barriston whispered. “And with everything I did last night, I might be receiving something far worse from him.”

Josephine snapped her gaze back to him in horror.

“I didn't see what he wrote.” Barriston assured. It didn't make her feel any better.

“What did you do?” she asked. Barriston crossed his hands together and placed them against his mouth.

“I...gave my own direction to the team; one that wouldn't sit well with the Heir if they have to follow it.”

Josephine's eyes went wide.

“What was it?” she pressed. Barriston shook his head.

“You've already drawn the Heir's ire. I fear giving you details may make him see you as...I don't know. Complicit.” he said darkly. Josephine started nervously fidgeting with her rings.

Barriston sighed as he picked his fork back up.

“I think I'm too tired to worry about him besmirching me. Or at least I want to be.” he said as he started picking at the pancakes again. Josephine watched him place the food in his mouth, and thought it a strange sight. He looked so hollow that it seemed a waste of resources to feed him; like feeding a dead man.

It was sad.

Josephine picked up her fork and started eating in an attempt to make things feel more normal at the table.

“You should try to sleep, if that's how you feel.” she said, watching Barriston closely for his reaction. “Get some rest while you're too tired to stress over it.”

Barriston nodded.

“You're right.” he agreed, patting his lips with a handkerchief, “I've got nothing to be awake for anyway.”

They nodded to each other as he stood and made his way upstairs.

Josephine stared down at the table. She was supposed to be keeping her mind off of Amani's expedition, but now she felt a gnawing dread sink in her chest as her stress was split between sources. She felt that things might come to a head soon with the Heir, but she didn't know exactly what that meant for the Hamlet. Josephine also had the sneaking suspicion that he chose Amani to go to the Ruins as a way to punish her.

How far would the man go to hurt someone?

Josephine finished the meal and left the Tavern, not wanting to sit at the table after such a solemn discussion. She wondered if there was anywhere for her to go to cheer up, or distract herself at the very least.

She decided to visit the ruined Church.

She passed through the graveyard, carefully avoiding the broken steps and graves, and stopped at the Church doors to take a look at the progress of the day prior's cleaning. The doors had been sufficiently cleared enough to open fully, with the rubble pushed to the side, but getting a closer look showed that there was not much else one could do. There wasn't anywhere else to put the rubble, and no way to reassemble the steeple with the old, shattered pieces.

“It's dangerous to be here.” a soft voice called out beside her. She looked to her right and saw the Priest kneeling in the dirt; hands cupping a half crushed tulip. He gave her a sad, hollow smile.

“I didn't mean to go any farther.” Josephine said as the man stood. He walked closer to her, and she could see how cold and empty his eyes were. There was life in them, but they showed no will to live.

“I've not seen you visit before.” he stated, voice somehow both kind and hollow. “Do you seek a confession?”

Josephine paused.

_Do I have cause to confess?_

The priest must have seen the worry on her face, to offer his help despite looking so worn and sad.

“I thought services were being hosted in the Sanitarium.” she said. The priest nodded languidly.

“They will be, once things have been set up for us.” he explained. “For now, I am tending to the gardens and the graves.” he gestured out to a corner of the small, overfilled graveyard, where he had begun to construct new grave markers out of the steeple's rubble to replace what it had crushed.

They were crude, but there was kindness in them.

“What will you do, if the Church can't be fixed before winter?” Josephine asked. The priest looked up to the empty spot that was once the steeple and frowned ever so slightly.

“That's something yet to be discussed.” he said sadly, speaking more to the building than to Josephine, “I know not where my place is in this Hamlet, if not here in the house of the Light.”

“We won't be rid of you, I'm sure.” Josephine tried to reassure. The priest slowly turned his gaze back to Josephine.

“I'm not afraid.” he said, a faint smile on his lips, “Whatever comes to me will come at the behest of the Light.”

He seemed to believe those words, but Josephine wondered if they were spoken out of comfort or resignation.

“Perhaps I shall leave you to your work.” she said, not wanting to witness the priest's mournful visage any longer; not out of any disregard or annoyance, but from the pain it brought her to watch a man suffer so deeply with himself.

“You are no bother to me, Josephine, but I will not keep you.” he said, briefly surprising Josephine with the use of her name. She realized he would know it; he would know many names from the meetings held within the walls of his church.

She wondered how many names he knew in the graveyard.

“I may...stop by, once you've a place to work again.” she said to him.

“If you wish.” he said back, voice empty and inviting. He waved to her gently as she made her way back through the graveyard.

Her dread was starting to mix with a numb sorrow deep within her heart, the weight of which sunk her shoulders and filled her with lethargy.

Things weren't boding well for the Hamlet. Not in the sense she thought before, where she worried about who would and would not come back from an expedition, but in the sense that the heart of the Hamlet was dying. That those who lived here have given up on it, resigning to die in the empty husk that was once their home.

She headed back to the square, unsure of what to do with herself now that she found herself ruminating over the Hamlet. She wondered if she should seek someone out to take her mind off of things, or return to her hut to wallow in sorrow. She was leaning towards the latter, solely for the warmth of her wood stove's fire.

The decision was made for her when Alhazred approached the square from the Barracks. He caught sight of her and waved weakly.

“I was looking for you.” he said with a small smile.

“What for?” Josephine asked, her interest piqued. Alhazred looked over their surroundings carefully before turning back to her.

“I wish to discuss something with you, but not here.” he answered quietly. “Are you free to come to my abode?”

Josephine had been curious about Alhazred's living conditions ever since learning about his desk, and the urgency of his request was not lost on her.

“Of course.” she said, growing both eager and worried. Alhazred lead them back to the Barracks, nearly all the way to the end, before arriving at their destination. Just from the outside, Josephine could tell that the hut was much larger than hers.

Alhazred knocked on the door.

“Dismas, I've brought company.” he said. There was a moment of silence.

Dismas opened the door, his face gaunt and pale.

“You've brought Josephine.” he observed, stepping aside to let them in. “Is this something to do with your magic?”

“In a way.” Alhazred answered.

The place was much nicer than Josephine's. The floor was made of wood instead of packed dirt, with the only exception being around their wood stove, which was bigger than hers. The stone of the walls were not as rough as the ones in Josephine's hut, and there was enough room to fit two large beds, a very large desk, an armoire and a small card table with its own set of chairs.

“We should not be gathering at my place.” Josephine said. Dismas laughed.

“Even disregarding the longer walk to get here, don't you feel it?” he asked with a sarcastic grin, “Something strange in the air?”

Josephine did feel it. It felt familiar, gnawing at the back of her mind. Her body involuntarily shivered as it remembered the sensations this presence caused her before her mind did.

An eldritch taint permeated the walls.

Alhazred pulled a chair out from the card table and gestured to it.

“Please, take a seat.” he said, pulling out his own chair and sitting down. Dismas watched from his bed as Josephine took a seat across from Alhazred.

“What's this about?” she asked, growing worried as Alhazred started to look nervous. He held a finger out to halt the conversation, and hustled over to his desk to grab a small stack of books and papers, as well as his candled skull, which he balanced on top. He winced as he balanced them on his broken arm to carry them to the table.

“I...I need your help.” he said after he sat down, a distressed look on his face. Dismas perked up ever so slightly from his lounging as Josephine furrowed her brow.

“Mine?” she asked as Alhazred slid a book over to her. She looked at the cover; a deep blood red embossed with gold text in a language that looked familiar. “I can't read this.”

“That may play to our advantage.” Alhazred said, spreading out a few papers and shuffling them around to form a crude magic circle. He looked up to Josephine with worry. “Let me explain.”

Josephine nodded as she casually placed her hand on the red book, flinching back as she felt a surge of power tingle through her palm.

“Is this a private matter that involves me making myself scarce?” Dismas asked from his bed. Alhazred furrowed his brow and pursed his lips as he thought.

“I am...uncertain.” he said slowly, the look of worry deepening on his face, “Perhaps...well. Perhaps it won't matter.”

Dismas sat up from his bed to get a better look at Alhazred; a look of suspicion on his face.

“What are you planning?” he asked grimly. Alhazred licked his lips nervously as he looked back and forth from Dismas to Josephine. Dismas stood up from the bed to take a spot next to Josephine at the table, staring Alhazred down for an answer. Alhazred inhaled a choppy breath as he nodded.

“I've lost my connection.” he said, looking down at his papers. “I drew its ire; didn't play the prostrate disciple as well as it wished me to.”

He opened a few of the books and laid them around him in very specific angles; opening pages who's words were somehow designed to connect with those of other books by other scribes to create another tier to Alhazred's growing magic circle. He sighed.

“It cursed me before it left, and there's nothing to be done about that.” he revealed. Josephine and Dismas gave him matching looks of shock.

“What do you mean cursed?” Dismas asked, voice heavy with concern. “Is it...are you dying?”

Alhazred shook his head, though his action was unsure.

“It's hard to say what will become of me, over time, but I don't think it wished to kill me. From what I last felt of its will, it wished me to...suffer.”

“Do you know the exact nature of your curse?” Josephine asked. Alhazred sucked his teeth as he tried to find the right phrasing.

“I am no longer of God; of the Light.” he began sadly; tapping a passage in one of his books absentmindedly, “There is no holy presence that would spare me its judgment.”

“That's why you wouldn't let Junia touch you.” Josephine stated. Alhazred nodded.

“I doubt I could enter holy grounds without bursting into flame.” he added. Dismas frowned.

“Are you gonna try to barter your way out of it?” he half asked, half suggested. Alhazred shook his head with a small smile.

“No. This was a path I'd walk sooner or later.” he said sadly.

Josephine leaned over to get a better look at the bizarrely crafted magic circle on the table. She may not have been able to read the languages, but she recognized the patterns they made when spread out like this.

“You're trying to summon it back.” she said fearfully.

“I'm trying to reestablish the connection.” Alhazred corrected.

There was a strained silence between them.

“Should you?” Dismas asked quietly.

It took Alhazred much too long to answer.

“I am not done with it.” he said, his mind made up. “And I don't think the Hamlet is done with me. Not as a man, but as a vessel of its power.”

Dismas' expression changed as he struggled to find his emotions.

“I'd like to say we value you as a person, but I can only speak for myself.” he said, nervously slicking a hand through his greying hair. “If...you think this needs to be done, then I'll trust your judgment. I'm no expert in...whatever this is.”

“Neither am I.” Josephine interrupted, a frown marring her face. She gestured to the scattered books and papers on the table. “I can just barely grasp this. How exactly would you like me to help?”

“There is power within you, faint as it is.” Alhazred explained, pausing to gauge Josephine's reaction. “I don't mean that as a slight. Your faint, barely comprehensible connection to the eldritch would allow you to help me connect to it without your ego interfering.”

“Ego?” Dismas asked.

“Her sense of self, not her pride.” Alhazred clarified. “That's to say, you're not attuned to it, but you can reach out and touch it.”

“It's my understanding that these connections are usually two way.” Josephine stated, brow furrowed in thought. “You think it and I can only just barely reach out and acknowledge each other? How does that help you?”

Alhazred sighed from the weight of his request.

“I cannot reach it, but I know how to. I'd be asking you to use your magic as a conduit between the being and myself, just until I can latch back onto it.”

Josephine drummed her fingers on the table as she thought it over.

“I'd be dead if it wasn't for you.” she said at length, her drumming starting to slow as she spoke. “I think we all would have died in the Cove if it wasn't for you. So if this is what you need, I'll help you.”

Alhazred exhaled a held breath.

“Thank you, Josephine. It means a great deal to me.” he said softly.

Dismas looked around the room as he shuffled in his seat, clearly nervous and unable to sit still.

“Should I...can I...be here, for this? I don't know what to do with myself here.” he said. Alhazred put a hand on his chin.

“I think it would be wise to keep you present. If we ask for your help, we will be in dire need of it.”

Dismas swallowed thickly and scooted his chair farther away from the table.

Alhazred stood, placing his candled skull in the middle of the magic circle of scattered tomes as he made small, final adjustments to their arrangement.

“What should I do?” Josephine asked. Alhazred looked up from his fussing, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

“Open the book of Ancient Yearnings and let it guide you. But beware, you must keep your head clear, lest it entwine you with something that's ached for you since time immemorial.” he said sternly.

The vague warning made Josephine's blood run stone cold; the fear of what it could mean motivating her to clear her mind as she opened the book.

Her hands nearly moved on their own as she went through motions of flipping, twisting, and bending pages; carefully angling and picking places to draw power from. It was a strange ritual, one she recognized to be necessary to force power out of sentences that couldn't be read, thought she didn't know how she knew that.

She didn't dare question anything now that the ritual had begun.

Alhazred quickly chanted as he ran his hand along the literary magic circle; his fingers lighting up select words in a brilliant orange as they passed over them. The room grew dim as the smell of ozone and the cold of a frozen night permeated the air around them. Alhazred reached his hand out, positioning it just above the candled skull, and Josephine reached out to press three fingers together at a very specific yet seemingly unnecessary angle. The candled skull beneath them burst into a purple flame that sucked light into it rather than cast it out.

The room's acoustics changed so that there were no echoes or reverb within their walls. Every breath they made or paper that shuffled was only itself; its own sound in its purest form. Each new sound threatened to throw Dismas over the edge into fight or flight as he struggled to come to terms with the drastic change of something so simple.

The beating of his own heart was deafening.

The ceiling faded away into the cold expanse of space; its darkness somehow darker than the blackest of moonless nights. Stars bloomed like blood through futile bandages in the darkness, casting the three of them in a faint, eerie light.

Orange tentacles split the ground as if they were knives through meat to curl around the table in search of their summoners. They wrapped themselves around Josephine and Alhazred's arms, joining them together as they encased their hands. Others had found their way to the magicians' throats, curling around both of them in perfect symmetry with each other.

Opaque tentacles descended from space to dangle around them like a curtain as the stars blended together above them to form a barely comprehensible entity. It was hard to tell if it was solid or gaseous, if it had eyes or was one, or if was anything other than something forgotten in a dream.

**“You've dragged us back to bare witness to this wretched existence of yours.”** it said, its booming voice sounding as if it was hot against their ears. The lack of an echo made it all too intimate.

“I drag you back to fulfill your oath!” Alhazred shouted, voice stern and unwavering. The room began to grow uncomfortably hard to comprehend as walls started to crack and fall apart like glass, revealing deeper parts of cold, dead space behind them.

**“Oaths are as insignificant as every living twitch and spasm within your meaningless universe.”** it replied.

“You did not deem me insignificant as we bound together in past times.” Alhazred countered as he stared deeply into the visage of space and time. “We will do so again.”

**“To what end, mortal?”** it asked, tone neutral and cold, **“You wish to have dominion over our divinity? Control of our cognition? What purpose of yours could require something as great as us?”**

“You know of my purpose. _Your_ purpose.” Alhazred stated, brow furrowed in anger. “You abandoned me so quickly; too caught up in your anger to remember.”

The tentacles grew larger and firmer in the silence; each appendage radiating a cold rage.

**“You speak too casually to us, wretch.”** it spat.

“I will not yield.” Alhazred said firmly. The tentacles began to constrict around them, causing Josephine to wince.

**“You will learn to regret that.”**

Tentacles shattered through the walls and whipped quickly into the room, sending shards of shattered space flying through the air. Dismas was showered in them as the tentacles bypassed him to go straight for Alhazred.

Alhazred stared unflinchingly into the deep cosmic void above him.

“You may regret abandoning your purpose to punish your only hope of fulfilling it.” he said.

The tentacles tightened their grip in the uncomfortable silence.

**“Very well. Take us, if you can.”**

A strong hum formed around them and grew louder as Alhazred gazed into the abyss.

The black flame of the candle sucked the sound and colour out of everything in sight.

“BREAK THE CIRCLE!” Alhazred screamed, head twisted as far towards Dismas as the tentacles would allow him.

Dismas launched himself out of his chair and through the shards of space to slam his arm down on the table; sweeping it across to shift and topple books out of place.

Everything quickly faded away to free their hut from the confines of eldritch space and time, as if nothing had occurred at all. Josephine gasped, now free to breathe without constriction around her throat.

Dismas was wide eyed and shaking, his face and arms slashed apart to reveal layers of unnaturally coloured blood and tissue. Dark black blood that glittered like a starry night leisurely dribbled from deep, non fatal wounds.

“Oh no.” Alhazred whispered to himself as he stood. “Sit down.”

Dismas did as he asked.

“What happened? I couldn't...think.” Josephine said, looking around the room in concern, “I don't remember anything.” Her eyes went wide when she caught sight of Dismas.

“I've never seen anything like this.” Alhazred said as he closely examined Dismas' face. Dismas' mouth twitched as he failed to hold back hysterical laughter.

“What's going on?” Josephine said, quickly rising from her seat to join Dismas' side. She looked over the lacerations, completely baffled by what lied beneath them. “Are you...bleeding space?”

Alhazred scurried over to his desk to grab a roll of gauze and a few balls of cotton. He passed them awkwardly to Josephine.

“I think he combined with parts of space when its shards sliced his skin.” he said, face going pale. “Though I have no idea what could become of that.”

He stepped back to give Dismas some room, and to work on healing his own broken arm. The ghosting of tentacles wrapped around it, causing Alhazred to wince and break into a sweat.

Josephine dabbed at Dismas' wounds with the cotton balls, trying to soak up the excess blood before tending to them proper. Instead of the familiar scent of copper that clung to wounds was the scent of ozone, which made Josephine's blood run cold.

Something had gone wrong.

Alhazred removed his sling and stretched his arm out, making sure it was in working order before returning to Dismas' side.

“Perhaps this is like a poison, or an infection.” He said, raising his candled skull to be at eye level with Dismas. “If so, I could heal it easily.”

The eyes of the skull glowed as Alhazred concentrated his energy through it.

The tips of tentacles began to slip out from Dismas' wounds.

“NO!” he shouted, shoving Alhazred away from him and toppling backwards with his chair to the ground. Josephine stepped back from Dismas in horror.

“Dismas you...you need to calm down.” She said, though she didn't sound calm herself. Dismas curled in on himself as he started to hyperventilate.

“No. No, let me...let me panic.” he pleaded, his body trembling violently. Josephine thought it best to humour him.

They gave him a few minutes to work through the emotional shock; staying silent as they watched him cry and whimper on the floor.

Eventually Dismas' breath started to calm and even out, and he slowly worked himself into a sitting position.

“How do you feel?” Josephine asked tentatively. Dismas slowly closed his eyes as he concentrated on his body.

“Cold.” he said calmly.

“You might be in shock.” Alhazred said, kneeling down to get a better look at Dismas. Dismas shook his head.

“No, I feel fine.” he said as Alhazred pressed his fingers against his neck to take his pulse. “It's hard to explain. Everything feels cold; my blood, my tears...skin...” he gestured to himself, “All of it, but it feels right.”

Alhazred frowned.

“Your pulse is normal, but your temperature is...alarming.” Alhazred said as he shifted from his kneeling position to a seated one. “I've felt corpses warmer than you.”

Dismas laughed.

“Since when do you go about feeling up corpses?” he teased. Alhazred smiled awkwardly at the joke, to which Dismas sighed.

“I don't know how to react to this.”

“Neither do I.” Alhazred admitted.

There was a tense silence in the room as Dismas and Alhazred sat together on the floor, while Josephine fussed with her rings nervously as she watched.

“I think I got you cursed by the cosmos themselves.” Alhazred blurted out. Dismas nodded to himself.

“Not something I ever figured would happen to me.” he said tiredly.

“I'm...I'm sorry, friend. I-” Alhazred started, but was interrupted by Dismas' hand raised to stop him.

“Don't go beating yourself up.” he said, giving Alhazred a stern look, “It had to be done. There's something greater at work here that I don't understand, but you seem to have a handle on it. Sort of.” he finished lamely.

“I've seen too many people here punish themselves with guilt.” Josephine added, drawing their attention to her. “I don't want to see it happen to you too, Alhazred.”

Alhazred chuckled to himself.

“You're allowed to be mad at me, you know.” he said with a strained smile. “Justified or not, you still ended up suffering for me.”

Dismas clicked his tongue.

“Well, it's too early to write me off.” he said as he worked his way to his feet. “So far all that's wrong with me is my cold body and pretty blood. If that's as bad as it gets, I think I'll be able to manage.” 

Alhazred chuckled again, this time with mirth behind it.

“I'll keep an eye on you, I suppose.” he said as he stood. Dismas shrugged.

“It's not like you know where I live or anything.” he said coolly; a cheeky smirk on his face.

Josephine frowned as she looked him over.

“If both Paracelsus and Junia are out of town, and Alhazred's not an option, who's going to patch you up?”


	19. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ruins party is battered and beaten before they can reach the way down to the catacombs, and their decent is accompanied with doubts and madness. 
> 
> An injury makes them consider the value of their expedition. 
> 
> A sacrifice is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh y'all are gonna hate me for this.

“ _A...ni...wake...u..”_

Amani furrowed her brow as something started to rouse her from her sleep. Her skin started to feel hot as her body shifted on the ground.

“WAKE UP!!”

Her eyes shot open as something flew over her head with a loud roar. Amani grabbed her makeshift spear and jumped to her feet as she looked over to see Bigby, transformed and ripping a head off of the giant two headed snake thrashing around beneath his body.

Paracelsus grabbed her knife and belt of bombs and vials as she scrambled to her feet, eyes wild and confused as she scanned the desert.

Junia took a moment to adjust as she sat on her knees, a look of horror upon her face.

Amani watched the sand around her as she took up her cobra stance, channelling the defensive power into her body. Something large and invisible displaced the sand as it slithered towards her, and she waited until it was within range to quickly stab down at it. A cobra phased into existence to splat into the sand with a bloody screech. Amani tried to back away from the dead snake, but found that the tip of her warped brand wasn't sharp enough to shake it off so easily. She started to panic as the corpse was dragged through the sand; its body catching and jumping forward as its head bounced and lolled back.

She kicked it off the tip of her brand with too much force, slicing the side of her foot as she did so.

Junia started to sweat as the sweltering heat of the desert sun beamed down on her. She saw the forms of Amani and Bigby in front of her, both warping through the hot air as it rose, and tried to comprehend what was happening.

Movement caught her eye in the sand from all around her, and she saw the sand shift and slide as if something was moving through it. She grabbed her mace from beside her and rose it to the sky.

A bolt of blinding light shot down from the sun above them to strike the mace, exploding all around her and erasing the desert landscape from view. A cacophony of hissing surrounded her as the light stung her eyes, and as the light ebbed away she found herself surrounded by cobras; all wincing away from the light with their eyes screwed shut.

Paracelsus was blocked off from the others by two rattlesnakes; tails fully erect and rattling dangerously. She slashed out with her knife and missed, and just barely pulled back fast enough to dodge a retaliating bite. She jumped back as the second snake lunged at her, taking a hit to the arm. The fangs sunk into her forearm, through the bandages and deep into her flesh, and a spray of blood followed the snake's retreat from her arm. Paracelsus winced and backed off a bit further, and in her panic swung her belt like a whip. It slapped across the face of the snake that bit her and exploded in a fantastic display of popping green gas, which quickly engulfed both Paracelsus and the snakes.

She was struck with fear as she felt her eyes start to tear up; the sensation making her realize that she wasn't wearing her mask. She backed up as fast as she could with her hand over her mouth and nose, waving the gas out of her face as she did so.

Bigby was trying to keep his hold on the giant thrashing snake pinned under him, but was thrown free as the blood from the snake's neck coated his hands and compromised his grip. He tumbled through the sand, body gunking up as it stuck to the blood that coated him, and he was quickly on his feet. The snake rose to its full height, its second head dangling by a thin strip of flesh, and gave him an intense look of rage.

It let out a few loud, angry hisses and lunged; dragging its head through the sand in a gory mess as it bounced and bumped against its slithering body.

Bigby dipped his head as it opened its mouth to bite him; catching his horns on the roof of its mouth and lodging them into place as the snake couldn't stop its momentum. It tried to thrash itself free, which only served to jolt Bigby around and tear up the roof of its mouth. Bigby slapped his hands on the sides of its neck and sunk his claws deep into it as he tried to keep himself steady; allowing the snake to tear itself open on his body. He roared as its blood ran down his body.

Amani spun around to face Junia and the ring of snakes. Junia was rising to her feet as the ring winced and backed away from her. Amani rushed in to stab into the closest cobra, killing it instantly; this time stomping down on its body to keep it steady as she pulled her weapon free. A cobra twisted towards her and lunged forward, and she swung out with her shield to slap it in the face and crush its skull.

“You can't hide forever!” a cobra shouted as it rushed towards her exposed middle. Amani swore as she realized couldn't swing her shield back in front of her fast enough to block the blow.

Junia swatted the cobra away with her mace from behind, sending it tumbling across the sand.

“What's happening?” Junia asked frantically as she locked eyes with Amani.

Amani felt her heart racing in her chest as she was overwhelmed by both fear and guilt.

“T-there's no time to explain!” she screamed as she turned towards the cobra still writhing in the sand. The snake hissed as it righted itself and glared at Amani.

“Are you keeping secrets from them?” it asked. Amani's hands started to sweat and she felt her grip loosen on her brand.

“Will they forgive you when they learn this is your fault?”

“I've done nothing!” Amani screamed as she backed away from it. Junia looked wide eyed between the cobra and Amani in confusion.

“We tire of this!” it hissed back. “You flaunt your stolen gifts in front of us as we speak, and we will take it no lo-”

Junia slammed her mace down and splattered bits of skull and brain all over the desert sand.

“Let's help the others!” she shouted as she turned her back on Amani to face the green cloud encroaching on Paracelsus.

Paracelsus was limply dragging her belt of shattered vials and burst cloth bags through the sand as she backed away from the toxic fumes in haste.

She fell to her knees and started coughing as the cloud dispersed around both her and the rattlesnakes. One of the snakes was vomiting bile and blood into the sand as it suffered through its final moments of life, but the second was puffed up and rattling its tail angrily.

It closed the distance between it and Paracelsus and sunk its teeth into the arm she threw up to block it. It retreated and snapped back out, biting the arm again and again until Junia closed in and slammed her mace into its neck. It fell to the ground hissing; injured but still alive.

Amani scanned the area for Bigby, and found him struggling to hold up the weight of the two headed snake that was nearly impaled on his horns. She ran over to him, stumbling over the uneven sand in her haste, and awkwardly stabbed into its dead head. She pulled back with enough force to rip the head off its body; the flesh keeping it attached to its body ripping a new strip down half its body before snapping off completely.

The snake shrieked as it yanked harder against Bigby's horns, and swiped out with its tail. Amani threw up her shield as she braced for impact.

The tail slammed against the shield loudly; the boom of the collision breaking the unnatural silence of the desert. The snake shrieked again as its tail went limp, and thrashed harder in a panic, finally dislodging Bigby from its mouth.

Blood sprayed in an arc as it threw its head back, splattering all over Bigby and Amani as it tried to twist to face her.

Paracelsus wheezed as she shuffled back through the sand away from the quickly rising rattlesnake. Junia bent over and swung at the snake, but it dodged, seemingly expecting the attack, and snapped out to bite Junia's hand. Junia winced and pulled back as blood started pouring down over her knuckles.

Paracelsus had pulled her belt in front of her and was quickly going over the broken bottles and popped pouches in a panic; her breathing quickly becoming a struggle to continue. She detached a cracked vial, eyes growing wide as it shattered in her hand, and she quickly brought it up to her lips to down its contents.

Junia was growing angry as she barely dodged the rattlesnake's endless onslaught; each bite nearly making its mark. She swept out with the mace and missed.

She swept out with her bible and struck it in the head, sending it to fall limp to the ground.

“Back to hell with you!” she hissed at its corpse.

The partially decapitated snake was starting to sway in place as blood poured out and down its throat from the wounds in the roof of its mouth.

“We...won't...stop coming for you.” it gargled out as its eyes started to cloud.

Bigby went to swipe at its throat, but missed as it collapsed to the ground, dead.

The bodies disintegrated and blew away in a gust of wind, along with the desert landscape.

The darkness of the torture room closed in on them. Junia whispered a frantic prayer to imbue her mace with light as Bigby whimpered and cried through his transformation from beast to man.

“What happened?” Junia asked as she knelt beside Paracelsus. “My wards have never been breached before!”

Paracelsus was coughing wetly as she tried to wave Junia away.

“Wan-” she tried to speak, but was interrupted by her own dry retching; tears streaming down her face. She slapped Junia away from her throat and pointed towards Amani.

Amani was covered in a spray of blood, but it was easy to see the blood and sand caked around a still bleeding wound in her foot.

Amani started to tremble as she went pale.

“I...I didn't mean to...” she whispered, trailing off as Junia approached her. Junia knelt down and inspected Amani's foot, Amani wincing as she scraped the bloody mud off the wound. Junia cradled the foot in her hands; blood dribbling over them as she half spoke, half hummed a verse. A light engulfed her hands and Amani's foot, allowing for Junia to heal her snake bitten hand along with Amani's wound. This time there was no pain.

“I don't understand.” Junia said to herself as she sat down on the ground. “That couldn't be real, but...it was. It had to be.” she looked over her healed hand as she spoke, twisting it around to look at the dried blood on her knuckles.

Bigby looked at Amani with concern.

“Th-there are ah, many types of magic, types of evil that can, mm, bend time and space, I believe. Maybe bring places here when they should, hm, be where they're supposed to be.” he said as she searched the ground for his cloak, slinging it over his shoulder once he found it.

Paracelsus was angrily removing the broken vials from her belt and throwing them haphazardly to the side. Junia approached her and knelt down beside her again. Paracelsus tried to slap her away, but Junia caught her arm, causing Paracelsus to wince. Junia twisted it to better see the snakebites.

“Do you think something brought it here?” she asked, continuing her conversation with Bigby. Bigby looked to Amani nervously, and saw that she was looking at him with horror.

“Mm, maybe. I'm not ah, a magician by any means, but we, hmm, are maybe trying to kill one. That is to say, perhaps he is responsible. Our target, that is.” he lied. Amani nervously licked her lips as she looked over to Junia for her reaction.

“You could be right.” Junia said as she forcibly healed Paracelsus' arm, taking a swat to the head as she did so. “But still...this...” she struggled with her words as she looked back at Amani and Bigby with wide, fearful eyes.

“My wards have never failed me.”

Paracelsus yanked her arm away from Junia once she finished, and went back to removing glass from her belt. She went through her pockets to pull out an alarming amount of loose vials and pouches of powder, and quickly started attaching them to her belt.

She looked furious.

Junia went to stand, but Paracelsus snatched her wrist to pull her back. Junia looked at her in confusion. She winced as Paracelsus poked at the bandage across her face.

Paracelsus scowl was so frightening that Junia tried to back away from it.

“I don't think I should waste anymore energy on small wounds.” Junia said timidly, trying hard not to meet Paracelsus' gaze, “We don't know what's ahead of us.”

“It's in-” Paracelsus tried to speak, but winced and clutched at her throat as she was overwhelmed with pain. She glared at Junia once it subsided.

Junia smiled nervously at her.

“I'll be okay.” she said.

Paracelsus rolled her eyes as she crawled back to her sleeping spot to grab her mask. She seemed to be hit with a sudden thought and sprang to her feet to rush over to Amani.

She stopped whatever it was she was going to do upon seeing Amani's face, and squinted her eyes in observation.

Amani swallowed hard as she took a step back.

Paracelsus pointed to her own eye. Amani knew what she meant.

Something had changed, but Amani had no way of knowing how drastically until she could see for herself.

Paracelsus waved her off and knelt down to grab some of the bloody sand mixture and put it in a small vial, which she then tucked away into one of her pouches. Amani knew Paracelsus had questions for her, and as cruel as it was, Amani was glad Paracelsus was unable to ask them. Paracelsus already knew about the 'wandering desert', and it would be daft to think she wouldn't be able to figure out that Amani was the common denominator, from its appearance in both the Warrens and the Ruins.

Amani tried to ignore the fact that her arm was itching horribly from underneath her bandages.

“Should we ah, plan a course and mm, start heading to the lower levels?” Bigby asked. Paracelsus pulled the map from her jacket and spread it out on the floor. Everyone gathered around her to take a look at it.

Paracelsus tapped her finger on what Amani figured was the room they were in, and dragged her finger around the corner to tap at a square marked 'down' in delicate cursive.

“We're close.” Bigby said, a hand on his chin. “Maybe we can ah, sort this out quickly, if we mm, are to be so lucky.”

Paracelsus flipped the map over and examined the empty back, slapping it in frustration.

“We'll be going blind once we descend.” Amani stated, to which Paracelsus nodded.

“Ah. Maybe not a good idea to, mm, hope for a quick resolution.” Bigby said sadly. Junia fidgeted nervously with her hands.

“I guess...we should get going, then?” she asked, though she clearly did not want to.

\--

They had gathered their goods and suited back up before leaving the torture room and traversing the hall, which was deathly quiet save for the echoing of their feet.

No one dared break the silence with their voice.

Amani had expected the stairs to be accessible through a doorway, but wasn't surprised when they came across a giant wooden trapdoor in the middle of a large and empty stone room. She and Bigby worked together to unlatch them and swing them open to reveal a steep, dark spiralling stairwell leading down into black nothingness. Cold stale air released into the air to send chills down their spines.

Paracelsus elbowed Bigby in the side to get his attention, holding out her hand once he turned to her. He turned around to let Paracelsus rummage through the pack, which she tried to do, but found herself too short to get into it properly. She yanked it off of him in frustration and pulled out a torch, and handed it back to him along with the pack.

Amani heard something faint coming from the darkness.

_ “...the farther down you go, the...you begin to hear whispers.” _

A sense of dread started seeping into her heart as she remembered Dismas' fear. She could already sense something sinister in the cold air of the stairwell, and she hadn't even entered it. 

“I suppose Amani and I will ah, lead, if you two are okay with that.” Bigby said, turning his attention towards the group. They all nodded, and reluctantly started down the stairs.

They started off narrow, but gradually widened the deeper they went, until they could walk side by side if they wished to.

They all started to grow more antsy as they continued on; looking over their shoulders with every flick and flutter of their dimming torch.

_ Th...w...nt...o....ee... _

Amani tensed as she heard the faint whisperings of something in her mind. Faint and nearly distinguishable, but just quiet enough that she couldn't make out what they were trying to say. 

The whisper laughed gently both in the distance and in her heart, causing it to flutter painfully. She winced as she darted her eyes around, taking note that the others weren't showing any visible reactions.

She worried that it might just be her.

The whispers grew worse, but they were still hard to make out. They all talked over each other with the same voice, making it hard to tell when one sentence started and another ended, or if they even stopped talking at all.

Amani looked over her companions again and saw that Junia looked a lot more scared than she did a few moments ago, and that Bigby's brow had furrowed in worry.

Paracelsus was impossible to read beneath the mask.

_ I know what's to become of you. _

Amani nearly jumped back against the wall to try to get away from the voice in her mind. She darted her eyes around to look for a source, despite expecting not to find one. She gripped her brand all the same. 

_ Your flesh can't be hidden from me, intruder. I can see beneath your cloth and iron.  _

Amani instinctively lowered her shield arm to try and hide it with her body.

_ Disgusting, incorrect flesh on an incorrect woman. What use is a heinous arm such as that? _

Amani heard whimpering behind her, and glanced over to see Junia with her hands clasped over her mouth as tears danced at the edge of her eyes, threatening to fall. Amani looked to Bigby, who was biting his lip and staring down at his feet in shame. 

Paracelsus was looking around, same as Amani. They stared at each other in what Amani could only assume was matching looks of uneasiness.

_ Sharpened teeth in a vile mouth; golden eye in a worthless socket. _

The whispers fluttered in her head, making her nerves jolt and filling her with the impossible urge to try and run from their source. She nudged Bigby to grab his attention, and she heard Paracelsus do the same with Junia behind her. 

_ They should be removed before they're removed for you. Though, if you removed everything undesirable about yourself, what would be left? _

“We need to keep going. Try to ignore them for now; we're coming for their source.” Amani said, though her voice was unsteady. Bigby smiled wearily at her before returning to their descent. Junia was shaking, but she tried to hold her head high as she followed. 

_ Coming for me? Do you think you can, defective as you are?  _

Amani tried to follow her own advice and ignore the whispering, but it was easier said than done. It knew what hurt her, and she could only assume it knew what hurt the others too. 

The whispering grew louder, repeatedly picking at her over and over again, but she tried her best not to react as she remembered what Dismas had said.

Had he not told her anything, Amani might not have been able to steel herself against the whispers, even if it wasn't working as well as she would like. She realized then that Dismas' warning was more valuable to them than anything the Heir gave them for the expedition.

_How little will it take until she stops loving you?_

Amani stopped dead in her tracks.

How little would it take? Amani hadn't dared to think too deeply about it, but now the question was being forced to the centre of her thoughts.

At what point would her changing body become too much for Josephine?

She felt herself grow cold as her heart sunk into her stomach. Would this curse drive Josephine away? She tried to swallow over the thick knot forming in her throat.

Paracelsus slapped her on the back of the head.

Amani tensed and spun around to come face to face with the cold dead eyes of her plague mask; its beak almost touching her nose.

Paracelsus aggressively pointed down the stairs, to which Amani took a deep breath and nodded.

The air around them grew even colder.

“It ah, seems odd that-”

_ **WEAK, DYING FLESH.** _

A cold unlike any other sunk into Amani's bones as a deeper, more vile voice echoed loudly inside Amani's skull, almost bringing her to her knees. Her heart beat dangerously fast in her chest as the breath left her body involuntarily, and she only grew more panicked when the flame of the torch burned down to a tiny speck in the darkness; barely illuminating Bigby's horrified face as he held it. 

The voice let out a guttural groan that split into multiple, multi toned chants that overlapped and harmonized with each other, and the stairwell grew cold enough to see the ghosting of breath around Bigby's open, panting mouth.

Somewhere in their minds the voice broke apart to hum in a way that put Amani's body on edge.

She didn't think there was a word to describe what emotion the hum was portraying, but the closest one that came to mind was arousal.

They heard a screech from the top of the stairwell, followed by the crashing of wood upon stone.

Paracelsus bolted down the stairs, beckoning the rest of them to follow as she disappeared into the darkness. Bigby rushed off after her, holding his torch out nearly uselessly out in front of him as he rounded the corner of the spiral stairs and out of sight.

Junia shouted a hysterical prayer to illuminate her mace. She ran after them with Amani on her heels, and Bigby dropped the torch as soon as the light hit him. He scooped Paracelsus up as he went to overtake her, and carried her as he ran from the screaming growing louder above them.

“Why haven't we found a door yet!?” Amani worried aloud as they descended two mansions worth of stairs surrounded by blank, stone walls. Bigby shook his head.

“That's what I was trying to ask!” he shouted back to her as Paracelsus clutched frantically at him for a better grip, “It worries me too!”

Junia tripped and went tumbling down the stairs in a mess of robes and armour, nearly taking Bigby and Paracelsus with her as she clipped Bigby's ankle.

“Shit, Junia!” Amani called out after her as Junia jolted to a sudden stop. She screamed as she was yanked through the air, dropping her mace as she dangled out of reach above them. Bigby put Paracelsus down, who grabbed the mace and held it up to illuminate the vast space above them.

Glittering black eyes and venomous fangs stared down at them as one of many giant spiders skittered over a web towards Junia.

Bigby whipped out with his chains to strike it in the head, causing it to recoil and lose its footing. Paracelsus had to jump back to dodge it as it fell to the ground; splattering a small amount of green fluid upon contact. Paracelsus pulled out her knife as it scrambled to its feet, and rushed it before it could get its bearings. She stabbed deep through its eyes and into its head with a loud crunch and splat, and pulled back as it started to take the knife with it to the ground.

Amani threw up her shield to block a spray of venomous spittle from above her as another spider went on the offensive. She swung her arm out wide to splatter the fluid on the wall beside her, and stabbed up with her warped brand; missing the spider by an inch. She shouted as she stabbed again and again, missing a few more times as it danced in and out of her range. It jumped down on her with its legs spread wide and its fangs bared, and nearly took her to the ground with its weight.

Amani's brand was pinned between their bodies, and she tried to use it to pry the spider off of her. She rolled her shoulder forward as the spider went to bite at her neck, and was able to slam her scaled pauldron into its mouth instead.

Junia was struggling against her sticky bindings as a third spider crawled out of the shadows to steal her for itself. Junia only had one free hand available, and she used it to slap the spider in the face with her bible, causing it to wince and back off a few steps. Bigby whipped out again with his chains and managed to hit it in the side of its abdomen. Junia used the distraction to angle her arm downwards and worm her thumb in between the pages of her bible to get a good enough grip to flip it open without dropping it. She awkwardly twisted her arm up and flicked her wrist to get it to fly open to the page she needed, nearly panicking as her grip shifted.

Bigby snapped his chain out to strike the spider again but missed and hit the web just in front of it. A few strands of the web snapped, and Junia shrieked as she dropped a good foot as she was partially freed, but jolted to a harsh stop when the rest of the web held fast. The spider skittered back towards Junia with its fangs bared.

“By the light be judged!” she shouted as a white bolt of light came crashing down from above them to collide with the spider. It curled in on itself and fell lifelessly to the ground beneath them; nearly taking Paracelsus out as it landed beside its fallen brethren.

Amani gripped the spider grappling her to keep it in place as she slammed it into the wall, using her armoured shoulder as a buffer between them. The spider shrieked upon contact, and Amani pulled back to slam it again. Its grip loosened on her, and she was able to quickly pry it off with her brand. Paracelsus rushed over to awkwardly slam Junia's mace into its head, but with the amount of force behind it, the blow was only able to stun it.

Amani stabbed forward through its open mouth and through the back of its head, and she pulled back as hard as she could, using the weight of the spider to slide it off of her dull brand.

They looked up to see Junia struggling to pull herself free of the webbing.

“Help me down!” she cried down to them. Bigby strategically whipped a few more spots in the webbing; Junia jolting down slowly as he did so. The final web snapped, and Junia fell to the ground feet first. Her right foot landed on the edge of a stair at an angle, and rolled outward with a loud crack.

Bigby grabbed her before she could fully collapse to the ground.

The howling screech was getting closer.

“Hurry!” Bigby hissed as he hoisted Junia up in his arms to carry with him as he lead them further down the stairs.

Amani noticed that the walls were growing thicker with cobwebs, presumably abandoned by the spiders they had just killed, though the fact that they were abandoned didn't ease her nerves by any means.

Finally the stairs ended, finishing their task of leading them to a small, single wooden door. Paracelsus pushed Bigby aside, interrupting him as he went to kick in the door, and held a finger up to her beak to shush him. She opened the door quietly and waved them through; closing it behind her once they vacated the stairwell. She looked around frantically, and booked it to a pile of shattered, empty barrels. She sifted through the wreckage until she found a long, intact piece of wood, and she bolted back towards the door to quickly jam it through the handle.

She angled it in such a way that the door wouldn't be easily pulled open from the other side.

It wouldn't do much against something willing to smash through it, however.

Amani scanned the room. It was very large, enough so that the door across from them looked the size of her palm, and was empty save for a few scattered barrels and crumbling archways. The ground was covered in a thick layer of dust, and a few abandoned cobwebs decorated the corners of the room.

There was, however, a plethora of stairs leading to other, unopened doors.

Amani sighed in agitation.

“There's too many options.” she said as she turned her attention back to her companions.

Bigby had lowered Junia to the floor, and was removing her boot to get a good look at her foot. Paracelsus shoved him aside to take over.

Even in the dim light of Junia's mace, Amani could see the heavy bruising and the alarming amount of swelling around her ankle.

Junia was fading to a scary shade of white as she slipped into shock. Paracelsus gestured to Bigby for their pack, which he placed on the ground beside her. She swung Junia's legs around to place them on the pack, shifting its contents so that her injured foot would be elevated higher than the other. She waved her hand in front of Junia's face in an effort to get her attention.

Nothing.

Paracelsus tensed her hands angrily before pushing Junia to her back and searching through her pouches. She pulled out an excessive amount of gauze and dropped it in a pile beside the pack. She then took a deep breath and turned to Amani.

“Splint.” she managed to croak out before gasping into a painful wheeze.

Amani understood, and went looking for a suitable piece of wood in one of the piles of broken barrels.

“Anything I can ah, do to help?” Bigby asked. Paracelsus gestured aimlessly with her hands before shrugging and shaking her head. Bigby pursed his lips as he backed away to allow Paracelsus more room to work. Amani walked back over and knelt down beside her.

“This is the best I could find.” she said as she handed over a small, warped piece of wood. Paracelsus looked down at it for a moment too long before snatching it out of Amani's hand. She shook her head as she rolled up Junia's pant leg to expose more of Junia's skin. Paracelsus beckoned Bigby over to her with her head, and lead his hand to hold the splint steady as she gathered up the gauze.

Amani shuffled over to sit by Junia's head. Paracelsus made a lifting gesture with her arm before going back to work on Junia's leg. Amani shifted Junia's head into her lap.

“Hi Junia.” She said warmly. Junia groaned and closed her eyes as she tried to move her head. “Shhh, stay still for now. We've got this handled.”

“Dizzy.” Junia said as she started to breathe more erratically. Amani placed her hand on Junia's cheek.

“Just take a few deep breaths, nice and slow. Take your time.” Amani instructed. Junia did as she asked, and it took a good few minutes until she felt well enough to open her eyes.

“Your eye is...more gold than I remember.” she said slowly. Amani tried not to tense at the statement as she smiled.

“Do you like gold?” she asked, trying to bring the conversation back to Junia. Junia furrowed her brow in thought.

“I prefer silver,” she said as she closed her eyes, “but some people look better in gold.”

Amani could see Junia start to pale again.

“Focus on your breathing for awhile. We can talk more after you've rested a bit.” she said. Junia gave a tiny nod before completely relaxing into Amani's lap. Amani looked over to Bigby and Paracelsus. Bigby's brow was furrowed in worry as he looked between Junia and her wounded ankle. Paracelsus grabbed her last roll of gauze and continued tending to Junia.

Bigby leaned over and whispered something to Paracelsus, who placed a hand to her head as she nodded.

“How bad is it?” Junia asked.

“Not very.” Amani answered, turning her attention back to the Nun in her lap. Paracelsus snapped her head up to look at Amani, who stared back at her with worry. Paracelsus' shoulders slumped in defeat.

“It's bad...enou..to caus..” she tried to say more but was too overtaken by pain to finish. Bigby held a hand to his mouth as he thought.

“It's ah, a bad break, I think, or mm, maybe a fracture. You can't walk on it, either way.” he said as he stared at the wound. “But if maybe, mm, well, perhaps...if I may...I think the shock is too ah, intense for this kind of injury. That is to say, it should have passed by now, not that it isn't normal.”

Paracelsus gestured to Bigby to signify her agreement.

“You're strength still hasn't fully returned to you though, has it?” Amani asked Junia. Junia took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded.

They sat in silence as they thought the issue over.

“This is a problem.” Bigby said grimly as he stared at Junia's ankle. “We can't drag Junia around with one ah, leg out of commission.”

Paracelsus placed a hand to her temple as she pointed towards the bible lying beside Junia, and then to Junia herself.

“Do you think you could heal yourself once you're stable?” Amani asked, keeping her tone warm and kind. Junia's brow furrowed in worry as she looked up at Amani.

“I...might not be able to do anything else if I do. If this had happened to one of you instead, I'd have the energy to heal you and continue to use my power, but this has drained my body.” she explained.

“Can't carr...ou.” Paracelsus managed to get out before growing silent and reaching for her throat. Bigby placed his hand around it as he used his other to sooth circles into Paracelsus' back. She awkwardly froze at the contact, but relaxed at his touch.

“It seems it ah, has to be done.” Bigby said as he looked over to Junia. Amani helped Junia as she tried to sit up, and ended up letting Junia lean against her as she adjusted to the new position.

They were startled by the howling in the stairwell.

“I'm not ready yet, but I agree.” she said before a look of embarrassment took over her face. “I'm afraid I'll have to be carried for a bit, lest this beast pursuing us burst through the door as I regain my strength.”

Bigby nodded and let go of Paracelsus to pick up Junia. Paracelsus' body language betrayed her as it slumped sadly at the loss of touch.

\--

Junia was slowly regaining her colour as Bigby carried her through the catacombs. They had decided to try the door across the room from them, and were lucky to find that it wasn't another set of stairs going up.

Although, they had no idea if they needed to descend further, or if they were already where they needed to be.

_Useless, useless woman._

The whisperings returned louder than before, though most of it was barely distinguishable. Amani looked around in a panic as she looked for a source in the hallway.

Surely they were growing closer.

_How could you hope to defeat me with such a burden on your hands?_

Amani did not like the question, and she was sure she knew what was to follow. She looked to the others, and saw that Bigby was looking to her nervously as Paracelsus looked over her shoulder.

Junia didn't seem to be bothered, which worried Amani even more.

_Leave her behind._

“NO!” Bigby cried out, startling them as his voice echoed loudly throughout the hallway. They all stopped walking.

“What's wrong?” Junia asked in a panic. Bigby looked to her in surprise.

“I...did you not...no. Please don't worry about it; I won't let anything happen to you.” he said much more quietly. Junia darted her eyes around the hallway as she curled in on herself.

“Perhaps it's time I try to heal myself.” she said. “I don't think we have the luxury to wait any longer.”

Bigby pursed his lips and started walking. Paracelsus grabbed one of his chains and yanked hard, but found she didn't have the strength to stop him as she stumbled as he dragged her along, forcing her to let go.

“Bigby wait.” Amani said, walking along side him. “Put her down and at least let her try.”

He shook his head.

“She can try as we walk.” he said sternly, his eyes flashing dangerously in the dark. Amani eyed him warily as he picked up his pace. Junia bit her lip nervously.

“I...I need to be able to touch it.” she explained hesitantly. Bigby growled in frustration, causing Junia to flinch in his arms. He stopped walking, looking both ways down the hallway.

“Fine, I...fine,” he relented as he gently placed Junia on the ground against the wall, “I'm sorry, I can't just, mm, we...it's not, ah...I won't listen to him.”

Junia worriedly stared into his eyes as he took his hands off her.

“What are you talking about?” she asked. Paracelsus and Amani looked to each other; Amani's face in a grimace.

This must have been what Dismas meant when he said to keep the party together.

The old man was trying to break them down before they even reached him.

But why did the whispers only target Dismas before?

Paracelsus snapped her fingers to get their attention, then pointed to Junia's ankle. Junia looked flustered as she turned her attention to her wound. Bigby was maybe a bit too close for comfort, but Amani figured it best to leave him be.

He was starting to act odd.

Junia winced as she placed her hands on the makeshift cast on her ankle, and summoned the light into her body. She grew pale and gritted her teeth as she started to sweat, and then started to whine as the pain grew stronger. Her leg began to shake and jitter with the strain of the healing, and Bigby took it upon himself to hold it steady.

Junia nearly swooned, and was forced to stop by her own faintness.

“Are you okay?” Bigby asked. Junia took a few deep breaths before nodding.

“I think so, but it's still a bit sore. Can you...help me stand?” she said hesitantly. Bigby grabbed her from underneath her armpits and hoisted her up.

She immediately cried out as she put pressure on her ankle. Paracelsus crossed her arms and began tapping her finger on her forearm as she watched.

“What happened?” Amani asked. Junia pursed her lips as she balanced on one leg.

“I think I was only able to heal the bone, but...I'm not sure. The light speeds up the healing process, so everything should have healed at the same rate.” she explained. Paracelsus shook her head.

“Atroph..ed.” she croaked out, her hand on her throat. Bigby nodded as he once again scooped Junia up into his arms.

“Possibly,” he said as he adjusted his grip on Junia, “but we need to ah, get going; we have to finish this quickly.”

He looked to Amani and Paracelsus with desperation in his eyes.

“Please.” he whispered.

\--

Bigby had set an almost gruelling pace for them, and Paracelsus reached to grab him by the chains to get him to stop more that a few times to no avail.

“Bigby, we need to slow down and be cautious.” Amani begged. He hesitantly slowed, but not by much.

“I'm sorry.” he said, squeezing Junia a bit closer to his body, “I ah...I...we should, mm, should ah...be leaving, but the Heir...I don't know. The faster we finish his task, the faster we can return to the Hamlet.”

Paracelsus flexed her fingers in agitation, clearly wanting to say something, but irritated that she was unable to.

“Do you think we should leave anyway?” Amani asked. Bigby slowed his pace a bit more.

“I...want to say yes, and ah, maybe we should mm, leave anyway, but we ah...might run into the old man during our escape anyway.” he said.

“Or he might be able to block our way with his magic.” Junia added. Bigby nodded.

“I don't know if it's better to seek him out, or run.” he worried quietly. Paracelsus' fingers were fidgeting by her sides.

“Let...eve.” she suffered to say. Amani gave her a surprised glance.

“You think so?” she asked. Paracelsus nodded.

“Cam..p...in oods...lie..sa..ouldn ind...im” she suggested. It took them a moment to decipher her fading voice.

“You want to camp in the woods for a day and say we couldn't find him?” Amani asked, trying to get clarification. Paracelsus nodded.

They walked in silence as they considered the plan.

“I hate to say it, but I agree.” Junia said as she fidgeted her hands together. “I don't think we'd fair well the way we are.”

“We'll have to get our story straight if we do.” Amani stated. Paracelsus nodded in agreement.

“I...I suppose it's settled then.” Bigby said in finality. “We'll find the next flight of stairs up and mm, start heading back.”

_Cowards._

They all tensed at the voice.

They could hear it echo through the hallway.

_Would it help if I invited you in?_

A door up ahead and to their left creaked open; the sound of rusty hinges rattling their nerves as it reverberated through the hallway. Another door farther down the hall to their left creaked loudly as the sound of a latch slamming down too roughly jolted their nerves.

_I can't have you leaving. Pawns of the estate are destined to meet their fate in the catacombs with the mistakes of their lord._

“Our hand is forced.” Junia whispered fearfully. Bigby swallowed thickly.

Paracelsus took a deep breath and started walking briskly towards the open door; her hands trembling more visibly the closer she got. Amani rushed ahead of her and threw up her arm to block her.

“I'll lead.” she whispered, though she suspected the old man already knew what her plan was.

She channelled her power into her body before walking through the doorway.

A plethora of broken pews were scattered throughout the massive chapel, creating a giant barrier between her and the back of the room. She quickly scanned the area and found no sign of the man.

That was until she saw a flash of teeth in the darkness. They twisted into a wicked smile as the old mas started to laugh.

It was a gross, vile sound, and Amani could smell his rotten breath despite the great distance between them.

“Oh how I've waited for one of you servants to stumble upon me.” he said with a high and raspy voice as he stepped out of the shadows. “Come, let me show you your destiny.”

Amani nearly gasped at the sight before her.

His flesh was grey and rotten; bloated around his stomach and stretched thin around his ribs. His head and left hand were pinched tightly in an old stockade that creaked as he moved, and she could see multiple knives stabbed into his shoulders and presumably his back, judging by the hilts barely peeking up behind the stockade. Chains with heavy iron balls on their ends were dangling from his right arm, with matching ones cuffed to his ankle.

His head was covered by a burlap sack, though it failed to cover his bearded face and bloody, bandaged eyes.

Eyes that were dripping and oozing as he juggled them in his right hand.

He cackled unnervingly as Amani shuffled sideways into the room to make room for the others. Junia grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes at the sight.

“Do you think me grotesque?” he asked with a grin. “You have your lord to thank for that.”

He held his eyes still in his hands, and they twisted on their own to stare intensely at Paracelsus. She lobbed a bomb over the sea of pews with expert aim and beamed him in the face. He coughed and sputtered as a cloud of fumes overtook is form; obscuring their view of him.

Amani hopped onto a pew and started darting from one to the other as she closed the distance between her and the old man. He shuffled behind a large pile of pews and partially pushed it over to close the way behind him as Amani landed in the space he vacated. She rushed over and started stabbing at the pews; their wood splitting and falling apart as she did so. She could see old man's face twist into an expression of worry through a small gap in the pews. She stabbed into the gap, but found that he was just out of her reach.

An eerie red light slowly engulfed Paracelsus as it inexplicably shone down from the vaulted ceiling above her. She tried to scurry out of it, but found that it followed her. She ran to the edge of the room where she could see a gap in the old man's wooden barricade and lobbed another bomb; engulfing him in another cloud of toxic gas. He coughed wetly as it entered his lungs, and as it dispersed she could see that his grey skin was changing to a more putrid hue.

Bigby put Junia down as he stumbled sideways. She grabbed the back of a stable pew as his legs started to give out; stopping their decent as his knees were crushed, twisted and reformed. He grabbed his stomach and grit his teeth as his rib cage cracked and expanded, and he vomited acid as his jaw twisted and elongated into a familiar snout. He started smashing and pushing pews aside before his transformation was completed; trying to make up lost time from his change, but finding too much resistance from the heavy broken wood.

Junia placed all her weight on her left leg and propped herself up on her forearm as she flipped through her bible. She raised her hand, her palm facing toward the rotten man hidden behind the stack of pews, and called out to the heavens. A bolt of light shot down from the ceiling to strike behind the pews, but Junia could feel that it had missed its mark. The air around the barricade crackled and sparked with the dispersed energy of her failure.

The old man held his hand up to one of the rapidly enlarging gaps in his barricade, allowing his eyes to twist in his palm to face Amani. A red magic circle twisted and affixed itself to her core, and she immediately started to feel nauseous. She lowered her iron brand and backed away as she felt herself grow faint; stopping once she bumped into a pew. She doubled over and vomited as the old man cackled at her.

He started to cough immediately after.

Bigby was slowly working his way through the pews, but was growling and screaming as he grew more frustrated with his lack of progress. Paracelsus clicked her tongue as she took note of his shrieking, and threw a vial over the pews to land at Bigby's feet. He was engulfed in a strong vapour, and he roared as his pulsing green veins swelled and twitched more intensely. He swiped an arm out and sent a pew flying across the room to shatter against the wall.

Junia was leaning heavily on her pew as she felt her strength starting to wain, but she rose her hand as best as she could to call forth another bolt from the heavens. She missed her target again by a fraction of an inch, though it was enough for the old man's leg to partially buckle. He cried out as he stumbled and dragged his trembling leg with him in a minor retreat.

Junia's vision grew blurry as her knees shook, and she was forced to lower her bible and clutch fully to the back of the pew.

The old man swung his arm out wide to face Paracelsus, and the gooey, milky eyes spun to stare at her. A red magic circle, different yet similar to the one that assaulted Amani, blossomed from her chest, causing her to stagger backwards as she clutched it it. It exploded in a burst of red light with the force of an excruciating bludgeoning, and Paracelsus gasped as she found herself frozen in place from the pain.

Her faculties were intact enough for her to notice that the red light above her was growing brighter.

Bigby was working his way through a thicker blockade, and was almost free of the debris.

He snapped his head backward when he heard the sound of crumbling behind him.

Paracelsus was slowly coming out of her stunned state as little bits of rock started falling around her. She stumbled and swayed as she tried to get out of the red light, barely avoiding a cat sized rock as it crashed right where she had been standing a moment before. Small rocks started pelting her shoulders as she kept trying to escape the light.

Bigby charged through the pews towards her, splintering them loudly as he crushed them with his dense knees and wildly swiping claws.

He barely managed to burst through the last row to headbutt Paracelsus as hard as he could, sending her flying across the room as a large part of the roof collapsed on top of him.

Junia let out a horrified gasp.

Amani heard the deafening sound of crumbling stone and knew something was wrong, but did not dare look away from the old man as she recovered from her nausea. The old man was trying to laugh as he coughed up blood and bile.

Junia's hysterical cries filled Amani with an intense fear and dire need to end the fight right there and now. Adrenaline coursed through her body as she rushed in to crush the pews with alarming strength; reaching the old man in three blows. She struck out again and shattered the stockade that had pinned and twisted his arm and neck for countless years, and he staggered backwards.

His head slumped as his atrophied neck crumpled under the weight of it, and his emaciated arm was unable to move from its long held position.

“I'm afraid it's too late for your friend.” he gargled out from bubbling lips. He tried to twist his good arm towards her, but she slapped it away with her shield; sending the grotesque eyes bouncing and tumbling across the dust and splinter covered floor. Amani screamed as she stabbed repeatedly into the dying man's chest, imbuing each strike with as much venom as she could muster. He screeched and laughed as putrid blood and toxic pus streamed over his rotten body, until he was unable to take anymore and collapsed to the ground.

“This is only the beginning of the judgment you deserve.” he choked out as the last of his lips started to melt and bubble into his beard.

Amani stabbed the dull brand into his skull with a satisfying crack, and if she wasn't so panicked about the situation behind her she would have felt relieved at his death.

She spun around quickly and started climbing and twisting around pews; opting to follow the trail Bigby had formed for a quicker retreat.

Bigby's body was covered in cracked stone and broken wood, with only his now human legs and one arm free of the debris. Junia was kneeling next to him, tightly gripping his hand in her own shaking ones.

Amani stabbed at the largest piece covering him; shattering it instantly. Paracelsus was clutching the side of her bloody head as she stumbled as fast as she could towards them; nearly tripping over herself as she broke into a run.

She stopped and started to sway in place as Amani dropped to her knees to start shovelling stone off Bigby. Her knees buckled as his head was freed from the rubble.

Bigby's head was crushed into a pulpy mess of brain and bone.

It was completely unrecognizable.

Amani slowly drew back her hand as she stared in shock at the gore that was only moments ago telling them that he wouldn't let anything happen to Junia. That he wouldn't leave anyone behind.

“It..s my fau..lt.” Paracelsus said as she started to tremble; completely ignoring the pain in her throat. Junia had both hands clasped over her mouth as she trembled violently with tears streaming down her face.

Amani started removing more rubble from his body.

“Amani stop.” Junia choked out, hiccuping as her chest spasmed with uncontained sobs. “I can't heal death.”

Amani shook her head as she finished freeing Bigby's body. She ripped his cloak free of the rubble and scooped as much of his head as she could into it. She then tied it around his arms and chest to keep it all together.

“No, he wouldn't abandon us. We're not abandoning him.”


	20. Stress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarmenti tries to cheer up Josephine, but things go a bit south when hidden nerves are struck. 
> 
> Amani finds herself growing cold and angry as she tries to drag everyone out of the Ruins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went into this thinking I was writing a Shieldbreaker fic just for myself, and I'm so surprised to see how much people like it. I'm really honored to have found an audience. Like, I legit am having trouble expressing myself with how stoked I am about you guys. You're all rad as hell. 
> 
> Also, sorry about this being kinda late, short, and a bit rushed. Week's been rough and I didn't have a lot of free time. I'll likely be skipping next week's upload because I'm going to be out of town for a couple of days and I'm not taking my laptop with me.

It was decided that Josephine and Alhazred would tend to Dismas' wounds by themselves, and that they'd try to keep what happened to him a secret for as long as they were able to.

With how much people bled in the Hamlet, however, they didn't expect his condition to go unnoticed for long.

After they finished tending to his wounds, Dismas asked to be alone.

Alhazred and Josephine decided to take a walk around the Hamlet with no destination in mind.

“Where is everyone?” Josephine asked as they came to a creek that separated the Hamlet from the outskirts of the Weald. Alhazred put his hand on his chin.

“I think they're scared. I was confused when Dismas explained that the party was being sent off in the night, and there was something so foreboding about that that I felt it uncouth to see them off. Like it was all supposed to be covert.” he explained with uncertainty. “They may have come to the square in the morning, only to be greeted by nothing.”

Josephine nodded to herself.

“Still though, it unnerves me.” she said. Alhazred pursed his lips.

“Suppose we take a look around; see who's about now that it's midday.” he suggested, though he didn't seem too keen on the idea. Josephine stared across the creek at a ravaged patch of grass littered with chunks of something silver.

“Are those silver capped mushrooms?” she asked incredulously, “I thought they only grew on icy riverbeds.” Alhazred furrowed his brow as he too looked across the creek.

“I don't know much about northern flora,” he said, squinting his eyes to get a better look at the mushrooms, “so I'll have to take your word on it.”

“They're destroyed.” Josephine continued, as if she hadn't heard Alhazred.

“Is that odd?” Alhazred asked. Josephine shrugged her shoulders without confidence.

“They're highly poisonous, so I don't think anything normally messes with them. It's just weird is all.” she explained. Alhazred hummed in thought.

“The Weald is not inhabited by normalcy.” he said, mostly to himself. “We should keep this in mind.”

Josephine thought of the mouldering giant that had attacked their stagecoach on her way to the Hamlet and shivered ever so slightly.

“Let's head back.” she said, the sudden feeling of being watched washing over her.

Whether or not she actually was was up for debate.

They were greeted with an empty square upon returning to the Hamlet, or so they thought.

Sarmenti was hiding behind the ruined statue; whether on purpose or not was hard to tell. His lute was nowhere to be seen, and he was wearing his mask and hat, which was unlike him so far as Josephine knew. At the very least she assumed he always kept them off in the Hamlet.

They approached him carefully.

“What are you doing?” Josephine asked quietly from a distance. Sarmenti jumped; his whole body tensing in surprise.

He seemed to relax upon seeing friendly faces.

“Oh, hey.” He said awkwardly. Josephine noticed that he was withdrawing a hand that had shot for the knife on his belt. “How are you feeling?”

Josephine started fidgeting with her rings as she was forced to pay attention to the pain and fear in her heart.

“Honestly? Fucking terrible.” she said, to which Sarmenti nodded.

“We were worried when we didn't...what the fuck's going on?” he asked, interrupting his own thought. Alhazred looked to Josephine as she furrowed her brow.

“What do you mean?” she asked back, although she was already aware something was off. She knew Sarmenti was keen; that if anyone had the wherewithal to piece things together, it would be him.

Sarmenti looked around at the sky, as if watching for something.

“Well, first and foremost, sorry if we were intruding when we knocked on your door this morning. I wanted to check on you, but I really shouldn't have tried to so early.” he started.

Josephine was a bit surprised; Amani's tossing and turning from across the room was often enough to rouse her from sleep, but she must have really been out of it if someone knocking on the door didn't wake her.

“No, it's fine.” she assured Sarmenti. He nodded quickly as he looked over his shoulder to scan the sky above the Weald.

“You seem to be worried about something.” Alhazred stated as he watched Sarmenti with suspicion. Sarmenti let out a quick, snide laugh.

“I really am the only one who heard it, aren't I?” he said. Josephine furrowed her brow as fear started to take over her emotions.

“What are you talking about?” she asked. Sarmenti turned his attention back to them.

“Everyone I've run into has no idea what I'm talking about, except Tardif.” he said, voice almost manic.

“Slow down, Sarmenti.” Alhazred started, putting his hands out to bring attention to himself. “You've seen people about today?” Sarmenti clicked his tongue.

“Yeah, earlier at dawn I went to see who was going to try and see the others off, and ended up explaining the situation to them.” he crossed his arms, propping one on the other to lean his head in his hand. “Them being Damian, Boudica and Missandei of all people. Would have figured Bigby'd explain the situation to Damian, but maybe he was off doing whatever he does.”

“Why do you think they're not about now?” Josephine asked.

“It put everyone in a grim mood, and I don't think my questioning helped.” Sarmenti answered.

“What were you questioning them about?” Alhazred asked hesitantly. Sarmenti looked back up to the sky.

“The shrieking last night. I didn't think it was that faint, especially in the dead quiet of the night, and it just...grated on my nerves; made my hair stand on end.” he explained as he leaned himself up against the statue to hide himself from the direction of the Weald. “I think whatever it is is the thing that fucked up the steeple.”

Josephine tensed, and Alhazred put his hand over his mouth as he furrowed his brow in thought.

“Sound logic.” Alhazred said as he nodded to himself. “Absolutely something to worry about.”

“Things don't usually enter the Hamlet, do they?” Josephine asked. Both Sarmenti and Alhazred shook their heads.

“Either way, I don't have any idea how we'd deal with something big enough to tear a roof off that can also fly.” Sarmenti said as he grimaced. “Maybe Margaret or Missandei could do...something, depending on what it was.”

“Margaret and Missandei are our long range specialists.” Alhazred quickly explained to Josephine. She fidgeted with her rings.

“Yeah, I saw them at the Tavern yesterday.” she said lamely. “But, Sarmenti, do you plan on scouring the skies all day?”

Sarmenti sighed.

“I don't know. I'll admit it's a useless thing to do, in the grand scheme of things, but...I'm too nervous to sit still.” he said, fully dropping his guard as his shoulders slumped.

“I can relate.” Josephine said grimly. Sarmenti chuckled sadly to himself.

“Yeah, I suppose you can. You're probably more worried about things than I am.” he said as he stood up straight. He slid his mask back to rest on the top of his head. “This sucks. Why don't we find something better to do.”

\--

Alhazred had decided to see if he could find someone to go to the Church to inquire about the state of its library, which Sarmenti was confused about until he explained that he wouldn't be strong enough to sift through rubble if the need arose.

Josephine felt bad for Alhazred knowing he could never enter the Church again, but it seemed he was already trying to figure out work arounds.

Sarmenti's hut wasn't much larger or nicer than Josephine's, but it was still nice enough to make her a bit jealous. The floor was at the very least covered in stone.

“Hey, maybe you can convince Norville to swap you two into Reynald's place. He doesn't need one that big all to himself.” Sarmenti laughed. Josephine blushed a little in embarrassment as she realized her jealousy must have been more visible than she thought.

“As much as I dislike him, I think there are things he needs to resolve before we start fucking with him like that.” she said. Sarmenti shrugged his shoulders as he sighed.

“Dude's been an ever growing wreck since he's moved in, or so Dismas says. I've noticed it too, but apparently there was a time when he didn't act like an asshole.” he said. Tardif snorted from his lounging position on his bed. His mask sat on his bedside table.

_They get bedside tables? We really got fucked over._

Josephine wrinkled her nose as she got a good smell of the place, and took it upon herself to throw a handful of herbs into the fireplace.

“Smells like men in here.” she said to herself. Sarmenti laughed hard as Tardif pursed his lips and looked away in embarrassment. Josephine dropped one of her bags of herbs beside Tardif's masked helmet.

“Hey, I know you're not into men but come on. It's not that bad.” Sarmenti teased. Josephine scoffed.

“Speak for yourself.” she teased back. “You'll overlook-”

She stopped and took a quick glance towards Tardif, deciding that her joking was quickly becoming a bit too mean. He honestly didn't smell bad; she just really wasn't attracted to men's musk.

Or men at all, but she never keep that a secret.

“Oh no, don't out me in front of my crush!” Sarmenti joked as he put a hand to his mouth in pretend shock. Tardif placed a hand over his face to try and hide how red he was turning.

Josephine placed a hand over her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

She wasn't sure if the two had hooked up yet, but Sarmenti had thrown being subtle to the wayside awhile ago, and Tardif tagged along with him a bit too much for someone who's job required distancing themselves from humans.

“Did you have something planned?” Tardif asked Sarmenti, trying to change the subject. Sarmenti grinned wickedly.

“Oh absolutely, but we'll get to that when we don't have guests over.” he purred.

Tardif pinched the bridged of his nose as he quietly swore to himself. He sat up from his lounging to properly join the conversation.

“You know what I meant.” he grumbled. Sarmenti took a seat beside Tardif; placing a hand on his thigh while gesturing for Josephine to sit on the bed across from them. She quickly made the bed so the sheets wouldn't be bunched up under her as she sat down.

“You remind me of one of my sisters.” Sarmenti said as he watched her. “So does Amani, but so far as I know they weren't fucking each other.”

He grimaced at the thought.

“It is shocking how little of a filter you have.” Josephine replied.

“Don't need one in my line of work.” Sarmenti explained smugly. Tardif gave Josephine a sympathetic look.

It was honestly strange to see Tardif with his guard down, though to someone who didn't know him, they'd still think him closed off. Not that Josephine knew him all that well, but his actions usually spoke for themselves.

“What are we doing?” Tardif asked quietly. Sarmenti shrugged.

“Just chatting a bit before dinner, unless either of you have different plans.” he said. Both Tardif and Josephine shook their heads. “Good, because I was curious about something.”

Josephine rose an eyebrow.

“Are you, now.” she said tentatively. Sarmenti grinned.

“He wants to know if you top or bottom.” Tardif said blandly.

“No not that!” Sarmenti shouted as he slapped Tardif in the chest; face growing red in embarrassment. Josephine went just as red as she placed her face in her hands.

“Oh my god.” she mumbled into them.”Why am I friends with you?”

Sarmenti laughed awkwardly.

“Well, what I really wanted to know was what kind of stuff you carried around with you.” he said as he scratched the back of his head. “It seems like a less exciting question compared to Tardif's.”

“I wasn't asking.” Tardif defended. Josephine frowned a little as Sarmenti leaned over to whisper something to Tardif, who pursed his lips as he listened. Sarmenti turned his attention back to Josephine, waiting for a response.

“Mostly it's just herbs, smoke powder, various currencies...good luck charms...hmm. I haven't gone through them in awhile, to be honest.” she said, listing things off as she thought of them. “I keep some of them empty for when I find something valuable.”

“You collect things, right?” Sarmenti asked. Josephine nodded. “What's the weirdest thing you've ever acquired?"

Josephine swallowed thickly as a flash of fear coursed through her.

“A lock of a Princess' hair.” she said as she tried to appear unbothered. “Long story short, someone I needed to barter with had an obsession with her.”

The story was true, but she wasn't going to answer Sarmenti's question truthfully.

Sarmenti's eyes gleamed dangerously.

“How'd you get it from her?” he asked, clearly engrossed in the story. Josephine grimaced.

“She had a reputation as a laudanum abuser, so I snuck into her father's court posing as an apothecary assuming she'd approach me. Made the trade without hesitation.” she explained. Sarmenti nodded, and Tardif gave her a grim look that scared her.

“Those fucking nobles sure like things in excess.” Sarmenti said bitterly. Tardif was still staring Josephine down.

“You deal drugs often?” he asked curtly. Josephine frowned.

“No; I didn't even give her what she wanted. It was muddy water mixed with a bit of vodka.” she said, clearly offended. Sarmenti looked between the two in worry.

Tardif grunted as he let himself relax, seemingly happy with the answer Josephine gave him.

She took note of this.

“Was the person obsessed with her anybody important?” Sarmenti asked, trying to disperse the tension in the room. Josephine grit her teeth.

“Oh you know. Just her sister.” she said uncomfortably. Sarmenti scoffed as he smirked.

“Didn't think we'd loop back to sister fucking.” he said humorously, leaning back on his forearms as his smile turned a bit less mirthful. “Though I'm not surprised, seeing as they're royalty.”

Josephine took note of Sarmenti's disdain for nobility.

“Why don't we head to the Tavern; get a head start on drinking.” Josephine suggested, trying to change the subject. Sarmenti slapped Tardif's thigh as he stood.

“Sounds good to me.”

\--

The Tavern still wasn't very busy the second time Josephine visited that day, and she absently wondered if it was going to get busy at all. Norville looked up from a table from the back and gave her a small, polite smile.

She gave him a similar smile; a silent acknowledgement between the two that signified a shared secret.

Audrey was sitting by her lonesome; balancing a knife by the tip of its blade on the tip of her finger as she casually drank wine straight from the bottle. She let the knife clatter to the table when she saw Josephine, and she excitedly waved her over.

Sarmenti made some vague gestures to the barkeep, who rolled his eyes as he nodded.

“How are you doing babe?” Audrey asked as Josephine sat down next to her. She let out a small sigh.

“It's been a weird day.” she said as Tardif and Sarmenti sat across from them. Audrey nodded her head.

“It really has, hasn't it?” she said as she took another swig from her bottle of wine, “Weird night too; Para was acting a little too unlike herself to ignore. She's grouchy at the best of times, but last night she just wouldn't stop screaming.”

Josephine furrowed her brow.

“Like, just full blown shouting?” Sarmenti asked. Audrey looked up to him; the flush in her face more apparent without the full shadow of her hat hiding it.

“Oh hi sweetie, I didn't notice you there.” she said, flashing him a quick smile before frowning again. “But, yes, she was having a near melt down about something.”

“The Sanitarium situation, maybe?” Josephine suggested. Audrey leaned her head against her hand as she put her elbow on the table.

“Oh that was absolutely a factor, but there was something else.” she looked around the room to make sure no one was listening to their conversation before continuing. “I think she was scared, or maybe she has a lot of pent up feelings.”

“She doesn't seem the type to get scared.” Josephine said, though Audrey shushed her as the barkeep placed four generous glasses of whisky on the table.

“Yer cut off, missy.” he said, pointing to Audrey. Audrey tossed him a gold coin and shooed him away.

“I don't know hun. She's not even around most of the time, and when she is, she's up all night going over notes or muttering under her breath.” Audrey's expression grew vacant as she went over her thoughts. “I don't think I've ever seen her sleep.”

“Are you worried about her?” Sarmenti asked casually. Audrey frowned as she thought the question over.

“I'm worried about all of them.” she said at length. “It's all just so...haphazard, sending them all off like this.”

Josephine felt herself growing more upset as the conversation dragged on. Tardif nudged her shin from under the table and nodded to the whisky. She gave him a weak smile as she took one of the glasses.

“There's really nothing to be done.” Sarmenti said, reading the room and finding the mood was growing too grim for his liking. “And it would suck to come back to a Hamlet full of depressed people, I'd think.”

Audrey laughed lightly.

“Right you are, darling.” she said before downing the rest of her wine. Josephine followed her example to take a healthy swig of her drink.

_**..e's...dea..** _

Josephine choked on her whisky as she was startled to her core. Audrey started patting her back as she coughed.

“Woah, slow down there.” Sarmenti said as he watched Audrey lightly shake Josephine by the shoulders. “We've got time to kill.”

Josephine stared straight ahead with unseeing eyes as she listened intently to the sounds of the Tavern.

“I'm okay.” she lied. Audrey gave her a drunken smile as she pulled away.

“Oh, have any of you seen Dismas? He and I usually play cards about now.” she asked as the thought suddenly struck her. Sarmenti frowned.

Josephine froze.

“He seemed pretty worried last night, or at least as long as we were there.” Sarmenti said, gesturing towards Tardif. “Maybe he's a little more depressed than usual.”

“Maybe-”

_**For now.** _

This time Josephine didn't outwardly react to the voice in her head, but it terrified her as she tried to recognize what was happening.

Was this the voice that Dismas had talked about, or did it belong to the entity she helped Alhazred reconnect with?

Either way, she didn't know what this meant for her.

She was kicked under the table, which startled her out of her musings. Tardif gave her a worried look.

“I'm fine” she mouthed silently. Tardif pursed his lips, but otherwise said nothing.

“We'll play you,” Sarmenti said to Audrey, pointing a finger to her sternly, “but we're all going to regret it, because Tardif's too fucking good at cards.”

\--

Josephine stuck around to be polite, but found herself wanting to be alone. The day was starting to be too much.

It was too much the moment she had gotten out of bed, but she was only realizing it now.

She cited a headache after their game of cards and went back to her empty hut to start a fire and lie down.

She couldn't decide if she wanted time to think, or to not think at all, and sleep seemed to be the middle ground.

_**...deemed worthy enou...** _

Her eyes shot open. She looked at the ceiling and swore she could see small, dark cracks that faintly glittered and offered a small glow to the room. She thought she smelled ozone.

_**One does no...o...unscathed wh...graced wi...our presence** _

She jolted up and scurried backwards to press herself against the wall.

The voice was weak and hard to understand, as if spoken from far away, but Josephine felt the intensity behind it, and it frightened her.

_**Grant...ou our bless..g** _

“What?” Josephine whispered as her heart began to flutter with fear.

_**Do not question our generosity, Josephine** _

The sudden clarity and use of her name caused Josephine's body to seize as tingles of fear sparked up her spine. Her chest felt heavy and cold, as if a part of the vast depths of space had been nestled around her heart.

Her lungs spasmed at the thought of trying to reply, so she instead nodded her understanding.

Suddenly the room grew brighter and was filled with the scent of burning wood and herbs, and the unnatural fear left Josephine's body.

She had no idea what any of that meant, and she wondered if she should discuss it with Alhazred. She decided against it, though she didn't have a good reason to keep it to herself.

Just a gut feeling.

She climbed off of Amani's bed to find a pouch hidden under her own bed, filled with excess herbs and vials. She grabbed a bottle of lavender water and snapped, which ignited a purple flame within it. The water swirled around the flame as it grew comfortably warm to the touch, and the water stopped swirling as the purple flame bled out into it to colour the tincture.

Josephine uncorked the bottle and inhaled deeply. She then downed it in one go and climbed back into bed.

She was very done with the day, and if she could have her way, she wasn't waking up until tomorrow.

\--

Amani knew she was the only one among them strong enough to carry Bigby's body, but that wasn't the only grim reality she was faced with. Junia, who was still in hysterics, couldn't walk without assistance, and Paracelsus was not strong enough to carry her.

Paracelsus was in no state to do so as it was, as she had gone near catatonic beside Bigby's corpse.

“We need to get going.” Amani said flatly. Junia took her hands away from her face as she hyperventilated; clearly trying to calm down but failing.

“I ca- I ca-nt wa-walk.” She said, her own erratic breathing interrupting her words.

“We're going to make it work.” Amani stated. She looked over to Paracelsus, who still hadn't moved. “Paracelsus.”

Paracelsus looked up to her slowly.

“You're going to help Junia walk.” Amani directed. Paracelsus slowly stumbled to her feet as Amani helped Junia to stand.

Amani passed her to Paracelsus, who slung Junia's arm over her shoulder.

They both stared at Amani as she backed away from them. Amani sighed.

“This is going to be rough.” she said bluntly as she gave them both a determined stare. “We need to be as fast and quiet as possible if we want this to work.”

Junia took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. Paracelsus made no outward reaction.

She did, however, gasp in shock as she watched Amani struggle to sling Bigby's body over her shoulders. Amani hooked one arm around one of his legs, and her shield arm around his arms so that the brunt of his weight rested over her shoulders and back.

She gestured to her discarded brand beside the rubble.

“Use that as a walking stick.” she ordered. Paracelsus leaned Junia against a pew to grab it, but hesitated as she grew closer to the residual mess of blood on the ground.

“Don't think about it.” Amani urged. Paracelsus inhaled deeply before grabbing it off the floor and rushing back over to Junia.

Amani was too over encumbered to open the door, so Junia and Paracelsus had to take the lead. They headed into the hallway and towards the door the Old Man had locked with his power. It was tough to open fully, and the women were assaulted with a cloud of dust and dry cobwebs when it suddenly gave way. Junia dropped the brand and covered her mouth as she coughed; leaning fully against Paracelsus.

They were lucky to see a winding set of stairs going up, though the prospect of climbing them was daunting.

“I should at least put some weight on my foot while we climb, otherwise this might take us too long.” Junia offered.

“No, you might lose it if you do.” Paracelsus croaked; her entire body shuddering from the pain of forcing herself to speak. She tightened her hold on Junia's waist and started to hoist her up the stairs, taking on more of her weight. Amani adjusted Bigby as she got ready to climb the steps as well.

It took them two hours to reach the top floor, and not one of them complained or asked for a break despite how exhausted they were. Amani's back ached and her shoulders were starting to go numb.

“Where do we go from here? Do you still have the map?” Junia whispered to Paracelsus. Paracelsus let go of her waist to look through her pouches. She pulled out the map, unfolded it, and swore to herself.

“I have no fucking idea.” she suffered to say, her throat spasming in pain. Amani leaned over her shoulder.

“Shit.” she said quietly. “We might be in that middle hallway. I can't tell.”

Junia quickly mumbled a prayer to herself.

“Let's assume all the doors we passed down there led back to the top floor. If that's true, we should go right to follow back on ourselves to the entrance.” she said once she finished. She looked back to Amani for her reaction, but paled and quickly turned away from her.

Amani could feel Bigby's blood dribbling down her arm from his head and neck, and she was trying not to think too hard about it.

She didn't have the luxury to get emotional over him.

“It's all we've got to work with. Let's go.” Amani said sternly. Paracelsus turned her head towards Amani.

“Don't look at me!” Amani snapped. Paracelsus froze and started to tremble.

“Oh I'm gonna do more than look.” they heard from a corner up ahead. They voice was muffled but familiar.

The masked bandit from the day prior stepped into the hallway to greet them.

His chest was a mess of gore. The armour that Amani had damaged had melted and fused with his skin, but tore lose and ground into the open wounds with every move he made. His pelt had lost a great deal of fur, and what was left seemed to have been stained by the bloody fumes that rose from his chest earlier.

His mask was similarly stained.

“Look what you've done to me.” he continued as he took a few steps closer. “I think I deserve a little more than compensation at this point.”

Junia struggled to reach the bible tucked into her belt as Paracelsus let go of her to reach for a bomb.

Amani gently placed Bigby down on the floor.

“Can't say I feel bad for you.” the man said as he looked to the corpse. “Though I have to admit, it was real wasteful for you to go and get him killed.”

Amani rushed him; grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him hard into the wall. The man went to stab at her ribs, but she slammed her shield as hard as she could into the stab. The shock of the metal colliding strained his wrist, and he grunted as the knife slipped out of his hands.

Amani then pulled her shield arm back to strike at his neck with the edge. The man quickly reached both arms out to catch the shield; struggling to hold it back as Amani put all of her strength into the swing. She grew irritated, and used her free arm to punch him in the chest.

He cried out as her fist struck raw, exposed muscle weakened from acid burns.

“What was your plan, hm?” She growled as she punched him again. “Wander about until you found us? What part of your rotten brain gave you the idea that you even had a chance against me?”

The man tried to push her off, and she let him.

Only to give her a better angle to her properly strike his neck with her shield.

He choked and struggled to grasp under the shield at his neck as his windpipe was crushed. Amani pushed her shield deeper into his throat, and his arms went limp as something in his neck cracked.

“'Going to do more than look', you said?” she snarled, teeth bared and eyes narrowed in rage, “You won't be doing much of anything ever again.”

“Amani stop!” Junia cried out behind her, “Just let him die!”

Amani pulled back her shield and let the man fall in a heap to the ground; wheezing pathetically at her feet.

She looked back to Junia and Paracelsus.

Junia was looking at her in both fear and concern, and Paracelsus was absently clutching at her throat as she watched the masked man die.

Amani walked back to where she put Bigby's body and slung it back over her shoulders.

“Let's go.”

\--

Their hopes started to lift ever so slightly when they started to recognize the halls, but Amani tried not to give into it. She thought that if her mood relaxed, her body might too, and then the burden she carried might become too much for her. She was struggling as it was.

“We could perhaps try to climb over the crumbling wall and stained glass windows from last night, where we hid after the incident with the bandits.” Junia suggested as they neared the place she spoke of. Amani shook her head.

“That opens onto a steep hill covered in shrubs and wild thistle. Even in the light of day it would be dangerous.” Amani explained. Junia's shoulders slumped and her head turned down, and Amani realized she had upset her. “If...it were life or death in the moment, it would be worth risking.”

Paracelsus was struggling to keep a good hold of Junia; her legs and shoulders were starting to shake from the effort. Junia was growing tired as well, and more than a few times they heard her hiss as she absentmindedly tried to use her injured leg to walk.

They were close to the exit, but not close enough.

They had reached the hallway where their first battle had taken place; the floor absolutely covered in crushed, burnt, and dissolved bone. Despite their exhaustion, they tried to pick up the pace.

The air grew cold and heavy.

_**BRING HIM TO ME** _

Amani's heart went into painful convulsions as the deep and vile voice boomed in her head. She barely caught herself from falling as her knees buckled and her lungs emptied themselves.

Junia whimpered as she clutched one hand over her heart and tried to curl in on herself, and Paracelsus went still as a rock as her hands trembled.

It became clear to them that this voice didn't belong to the Old Man, but to something else in the catacombs.

Whispers and screams rattled the back of their skulls as the bones in the hallway slowly started to rise. The vocalizations in their heads bled together into a high pitched whine that made Amani's head swim.

She grit her teeth and forced herself to stand up straight.

“We've got to run.” she realized aloud.

“You think we can? We're fucking dead!” Paracelsus screamed as best as she could.

“Then there's nothing to lose!” Amani shouted back as she tried to take off running. The adrenaline was kicking in hard as floating, disembodied arms grazed and scratched against her arm.

Years of dancing had trained her to have nearly complete control of her lower body, and she subconsciously began tensing her legs and sliding her feet along the floor in such a way that she could throw the extra weight around to be less of a burden as she quickly jogged ahead.

Junia had given up on caring for her leg, and started to use it to escape. She put her full weight on her atrophied ankle; trying not to scream as the ridged splint struggled to hold the weight of her body. Her ankle tried to buckle, and the splint shifted upwards as pain shot up into her shin.

With Paracelsus dragging her along, she was able to make it work, and they broke into as much of a run as they could.

Paracelsus cut her belt loose and let it crash to the ground. She put all of her strength into picking up Junia and dragged her as fast as she could away from the vaporous cloud that was quickly filling the hallway behind them.

Amani came to the shattered door first. She stepped over it awkwardly; carrying too much weight to reliably stand on one leg, which lead to a scrape along the front of her shin.

Paracelsus and Junia had to take their time to step over the door together, but the sense of urgency was beginning to leave them as the rattling of bones grew distant and the high pitched whine left their minds.

Their breath came in puffs in the fresh night air; the cold kiss of fall's farewell filling their lungs. They all looked to each other as they caught their breath.

“We can't head back in the dark.” Amani stated. Junia winced as Paracelsus put her down.

“I don't want to stay here.” Junia nearly sobbed. Amani put Bigby down as gently as she could and collapsed beside Junia.

Paracelsus sat down quite a distance away from them. Amani bit her lip as she tried to shut down her emotions.

“It should only be a few hours until sunrise. We'll leave as soon as dawn breaks.”


	21. Anger and Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hamlet is unable to rest as Reynald starts picking fights, and it's decided it's finally time to do something about him.  
> Damian is acting odd, and Josephine is given a warning. 
> 
> Junia is quickly fading, and with Paracelsus going in and out of emotional shock, it's up to Amani to get them back to the Hamlet alive.  
> They're stopped by unwanted visitors with unwanted questions and unwanted offers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I've been gone for so long! I burnt out HARD and needed a break from this, and I felt like my writing was starting to get sloppy. I think updates are going to be more infrequent from now on, and hopefully the quality of my writing will go up if I don't stress over a self imposed deadline.   
> That being said, this might not be my best chapter.
> 
> Thank you all for being so patient with me, and I'm really happy you enjoy the fic so far :)

Josephine was awoken by angry shouting somewhere outside her hut. She furrowed her brow as she jolted out of bed; unsure if there was a personal issue unfolding, or if an actual disaster was occurring.

It sounded like a fight.

She quickly slung on her pouches and belts before popping open her door.

“I'm sick of your shit!” Sarmenti was screaming, pointing a finger to Reynald who was standing in front of him, likely going to or coming from the bathhouse. Tardif was behind Sarmenti; arms raised slightly as if ready to intervene.

“Am I wrong?” Reynald asked. Sarmenti narrowed his eyes and gestured to him in disbelief.

“Yes, absolutely. You're absolutely fucking wrong.” he said incredulously. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Reynald clicked his tongue as he looked Sarmenti up and down.

“I'm not so sure I should give your opinion any credence, you joke.” he said in calm disgust. Sarmenti's eyes widened.

“I'M the joke!?” he asked, jabbing himself in the chest for emphasis, “Me? Are you sure it's not you, you fucking washed up piece of shit? Fuck you.”

Josephine slipped out of her hut and shut the door behind her. She made eye contact with Tardif, who pursed his lips nervously.

She had never seen Sarmenti so unhinged, and she was guessing neither had Tardif.

Reynald scoffed at Sarmenti as a few more people started to come out to see what the commotion was.

“Why are you so upset? Are you sleeping with one of them too?” he asked snidely. Sarmenti shouted and went to grab for his knife, but Tardif hooked his arms under Sarmenti's armpits and pulled him back. He held him tight against his body as the Jester thrashed against him.

“You stupid fucking piece of shit! ” he spat as he tried to wiggle free from Tardif, “Pourrir en enfer! Bastard!”

Josephine's eyes darted over to Reynald, hoping that he didn't know much french. Judging by the mix of shock and anger on his face, he knew enough.

“Pourrir en enfer?” he repeated as he stared daggers at Sarmenti. “I know this phrase, Jester. It will cost you.” He clenched his fist as he went to close the distance between them.

He was put into a headlock from behind by Boudica.

“Watch it, tough guy.” she warned, voice deep and low.

“Unhand me, heathen! Don't intervene!” Reynald snapped as he tried to pull Boudica's arms off his neck. “You've no stake in this!”

Boudica looked unimpressed as the crusader struggled in vain to break free.

“Try not to choke yourself.” she condescended.

Josephine quickly glanced down the path to see who else was entering the scene. She caught eyes with Alhazred, who gave her a questioning look. She shrugged her shoulders.

Just behind Alhazred was Dismas, whose eyes were narrowed and confused.

“I should have known you godless boors would stick together! I've found myself in a den of vipers!” Reynald shouted. Boudica tightened her grip a little.

“You bigot!” Sarmenti shouted back. “What do you know?!”

“I know demons when I see them!” Reynald stated with confidence.

With that, Josephine knew what this was about. She tensed her hands as she went to go sort things out herself.

She was startled when someone's arm shot out to block her. She looked up and caught eyes with Damian; his expression bland, but his stare intense. Josephine furrowed her brow in worry, but allowed Damian to hold her back.

It was too early to tell who he was going to side with, but she had a feeling these next few moments would decide it.

“You don't know shit!” Sarmenti growled, showing no signs of tiring from Tardif's grasp on him as he continued to thrash.

“I know you keep bad company!” Reynald retorted as he too tried to break free, “And I know you've....you...”

“Oh no, take your time Reynald; we're all eager to hear what you have to say about me.” Sarmenti said sarcastically.

“Maybe if Tardif had a better handle on you, you'd act like a civilized human being.” Reynald said coldly. Sarmenti stopped his struggling as Tardif tensed behind him.

“...What?” Sarmenti asked, completely taken aback. Reynald smiled mirthlessly.

“Little boys need to be reprimanded when they're acting up, and he seems the type to be willing to use a strong hand to keep you in line.” he snarked. Sarmenti's eyes went wide in shock.

“You...how could...what the fuck are you trying to say?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

The look on Tardif's face was dangerous; angrier than Josephine had ever seen it.

“I'm saying that I'm disappointed in Tardif for playing nice with you. I thought someone like him would beat the kid he was railing when he started talking back.” Reynald said with a taunting grin.

There wasn't an unperturbed face among them.

Josephine didn't think she'd ever hear a Crusader talk like that in her entire life.

Had Reynald's manner of speech been a facade this whole time, or was he starting to lose himself?

“Va te faire foutre, connard! Je vais te tuer! Putain de bordel de merde!” Sarmenti roared, trying to break free of Tardif's weakening grasp. Tardif was too mad to justify holding him back anymore.

Damian calmly made his way beside Tardif and reached for the screaming and kicking Jester. Tardif let him take him, and with Sarmenti out of the way he let his anger take over.

“Let him go.” he growled to Boudica. She loosened her grip and let Reynald stumble out of the headlock. He quickly recovered his balance; widening his stance and squaring his shoulders as he faced Tardif.

To his credit, he didn't flinch at the pure rage radiating off the Bounty Hunter.

“Seems the type to use a strong hand, you said?” Tardif snarled as he slowly advanced on Reynald. “You trying to test that?”

“You think me afraid of you?” Reynald asked boldly. “You've proven yourself soft already.”

Tardif punched him in the jaw so hard that Reynald nearly tripped over himself as he was sent backwards. Reynald wiped at his scarred lip, where he accidentally bit himself, with the back of his hand.

“Now why can't you hit him like you hit me?” he asked as he shook the blood off his hand. Tardif grabbed the front of the Crusader's tunic to pull him towards him. Reynald gripped his wrist and planted his feet firm to prevent Tardif from pulling him in, and aimed a right hook at his head. Tardif caught the fist and headbutted Reynald with a small grunt.

Reynald was laughing.

Josephine's stomach felt sour watching Reynald taunt Tardif.

Something wasn't right.

Reynald let go of Tardif's wrist to swing out with his scarred hand and clocked Tardif in the cheek with little more than a grunt from the Bounty hunter. Tardif let go of Reynald's other fist to get a better grip on his tunic.

He picked him up and threw him straight through the nearest door.

Reynald landed ungracefully on his back as he crashed through the wood; coughing as he tried to make it to his feet before Tardif could pounce on him.

Audrey shot up out of her bed; her hair a right mess and her eyes absolutely bloodshot.

“What the hell is going on?!” he shouted, her voice rough with sleep.

Reynald had only made it to a crouch before Tardif was on him. The Bounty Hunter pushed him back with one hand; the motion looking almost effortless as he used three fingers to shove him to the ground. He followed him down; his knees pinning Reynald on both sides as he landed hard and straddled his waist.

“Oh my god.” Josephine said, unable to take her eyes off the fight. “He might actually kill him.”

“Not in my house he isn't.” Audrey stated angrily. She kicked out to block the fist aimed for Reynald's head and knocked it out wide. “You take this shit back outside.”

Reynald used the intervention to his advantage and punched Tardif in the jaw. Tardif growled as he slammed his forearm into Reynald's throat and leaned into it; putting all of his weight on the Crusader's neck.

Audrey kicked Tardif in the nose, hard enough to make it bleed, and Tardif took it with barely a wince. Reynald grabbed Tardif's arm and tried to push it off him, but he was having a hard time getting a decent grip. He choked and grunted as his face started going red.

Damian swooped in to grab Tardif by the collar and pry him off of Reynald, but with little difference in strength between them, he wasn't able to get Tardif up off Reynald's waist. Reynald barely took a moment to catch his breath before striking Tardif again; hitting him in his stomach. Tardif winced, and in an act of spite he exhaled sharply through his nose to spray blood all over Reynald. Damian yanked back a little harder, forcing Tardif to arch away from the Crusader and look him in the eye.

“Let go of me.” Tardif growled.

“No.” Damian said firmly.

Audrey kicked Reynald in the head; making him cry out in both pain and surprise.

“I'd bet money that you started this.” she seethed.

Boudica came up beside Damian to hook an arm around Tardif, and they worked together to pull him up to his feet. Tardif pulled against them as they dragged him out of Audrey's hut, which allowed Reynald to work his way into a standing position. Audrey gave him a firm shove out of the doorway, and he stumbled out after Tardif.

She clicked her tongue when she realized she couldn't close her door, as it was lying in pieces at her feet.

Tardif was still fighting against Damian and Boudica, who were starting to have difficulty holding him back. Reynald ran his hand through his hair to push it away from his sweaty forehead as he staggered back onto the main path.

“If you were more respectable, you wouldn't let people hold you back like a snarling dog.” he sneered.

Tardif shrugged Damian and Boudica off with one roll of his shoulders and made it to Reynald before they could stop him. He threw an uppercut into the inner most part of Reynald's jaw; hitting more throat than bone. Reynald let out a concerning gag and started to stagger backwards, but Tardif grabbed his tunic to yank him directly into his fist.

Reynald was knocked out cold, and he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Tardif stared at the Crusader's unconscious body; still visibly furious with him.

“What was he even trying to fight about?” Boudica asked in clear confusion. “Did he just want his ass kicked?”

“Okay, I've had enough.” Dismas said from behind Alhazred, and he pushed his way past him to stand beside Reynald. He looked down at the Crusader; so unimpressed with him that it was almost intimidating. “We're fixing this mess. Today.”

“That's a big job.” Boudica commented. Dismas' expression turned furious as he shook his head.

“I don't care. I'm so fucking sick of what he's become that I'll do whatever I have to to get him back to normal.” he said.

“Maybe he just needs to get laid.” Boudica half joked. Dismas narrowed his eyes at her.

“You've got such a...you know what? Fuck it, absolutely fuck it.” he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in defeat. “I'd let him absolutely destroy me if that's what it took.”

“There's a brothel.” Alhazred stated blandly; dismissing the idea. Josephine shook her head.

“The religious are a little weird about sex.” she explained. She nearly slapped a hand over her mouth as she looked over to Damian, who she had forgotten about; worried that she may have offended him.

He let his eyes go half lidded and smirked.

“I'm special.” he said playfully. Josephine didn't know how to take that; whether he meant his strict devotion to the whip, or that he actually slept around.

Either way, he was right.

Dismas muttered something under his breath before gesturing to Reynald.

“I can't carry him. If someone could lug his sorry ass to his hut for me, that would be just peachy.” he said curtly; clearly losing his patience. Boudica scooped Reynald up bridal style; not struggling with his weight in the least. Dismas turned and waved over his shoulder, wordlessly telling Boudica to follow him.

The rest of them stood around awkwardly. Josephine wasn't sure if Dismas wanted or expected help from anyone else, but she didn't think there was anyone left in the Hamlet who had the patience to care about Reynald anymore.

Tardif looked at Sarmenti and gestured to their hut with his head. Sarmenti sucked on his teeth before nodding slowly.

Tardif headed to the square while Sarmenti listened to his silent instructions and returned to their hut.

They could hear muffled french screaming through the walls.

Audrey was muttering under her breath as she tried to pin a sheet over her empty door frame.

Josephine looked tiredly at the rising sun.

“How are you?” Damian asked.

“I'm...tired.” Josephine said quietly. She looked to him to see he was staring at the sunrise as well.

“Emotionally?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Josephine whispered. Damian nodded.

Alhazred made his way over to them and gave them both a tense smile.

“Good morning.” he said ironically. Josephine let out a short laugh.

“Good morning.” she returned. Alhazred chuckled to himself.

“Are you going back to bed?” he asked. Josephine shook her head.

“No, I don't know that I can go back to sleep after that.” she explained. Alhazred placed a hand to his chin as he nodded.

“Do you know what started the argument? Not that it's any of my business.” he asked. Josephine frowned.

“I have a suspicion.” she answered. Alhazred rose his brows; his interest piqued.

“Do you now?” he asked, trying not to come off as too nosy but failing. “We could discuss it over breakfast, if you'd like.” Josephine shrugged.

“Sure, might as well. It's going to nag at me all day anyway.”

\--

Damian, who seemed to be at a loss on what he should be doing, accompanied them to the tavern. Alhazred seemed mildly uncomfortable with it, but Josephine wasn't so sure it had anything to do with the man himself.

She took the seat right beside Damian in the small booth, so that Alhazred didn't have to risk touching him.

They didn't know how strong Alhazred's curse was. For all they knew, a slight brush of the Flagellant's fingers would be enough to bathe him in holy fire.

Tardif was negotiating something with the barkeep, who sighed and pulled a bottle out from under the counter and held out a hand for payment. Tardif placed a few gold in his hand, too much in Josephine opinion, and took the bottle and left.

She decided it would probably be wise to leave Tardif and Sarmenti alone for the day. She'd probably hear from them later anyway, with how chatty Sarmenti was with her.

It turned out that the group of them had come early enough to get fresh bread right out of the oven; a small perk of being awake at the crack of dawn. Along with it they had gotten over easy eggs, bacon, and a pot of Alhazred's favourite tea.

There was something about Damian eating that felt strange, and maybe it felt strange to him too, seeing as he had foregone his cutlery to eat with his hands.

Alhazred cleared his throat.

“So you said you had an idea as to what the squabble was about?” he asked, sipping casually at his tea. Josephine absently fidgeted with her rings.

“Reynald mentioned demons, so he likely said something about Amani or Bigby.” she said through a tense grimace. “You saw how on edge Sarmenti was yesterday, so I'm sure it was the final straw for him.”

Damian froze mid bite at the mention of Bigby.

Alhazred sighed.

“That makes sense. He seems a close friend to you and Amani. Well, even if that weren't the case, it's unpleasant to hear someone be so cruel nigh constantly.” he expressed. Damian put down his food and looked at Josephine.

He didn't say anything. Josephine shot Alhazred a worried glance.

“Is...something the matter?” she asked tentatively.

“No. I was just listening.” he said, though he didn't sound very confident.

Josephine wasn't sure what to make of it.

“Well.” Alhazred interrupted, trying to keep up the conversation, “It'll be interesting to see what Dismas makes of Reynald. I didn't think Dismas would take up such a task but...well. Reynald quite obviously has a soft spot for him; perhaps he thinks he can use that to his advantage.” he dipped bread into the yolk on his plate casually as he waited for someone to chime in.

“I figured as much.” Josephine revealed, “Though I didn't think Dismas paid him as much mind.”

“It's hard to say if he cares all that much, or if he's just fed up.” Alhazred added. He looked over to Damian. “What do you think?”

Damian furrowed his brow to think; his mind clearly preoccupied with something else.

“Dismas must be sentimental.” he finally said. Alhazred topped off his cup of tea.

“I could believe that.” he said.

“He looks tired.” Damian added.

“He...does.” Alhazred agreed nervously. “He ah...has nightmares from time to time, so he might be going through a bout of them. I haven't asked.”

Damian nodded absently as he started to zone out.

“You seem...bothered; out of your element, maybe.” Josephine observed, growing more worried with Damian's behaviour. “Is it the loss of the church?”

Damian shook his head.

“My worship is not confined to the Flagellation hall. I use it out of courtesy.” he explained.

“Am I just misinterpreting things?” Josephine asked. Damian pursed his lips. Alhazred was looking back and forth between them with both interest and concern.

“...I don't know.” Damian said hesitantly. “I feel...distracted.”

“With what?” Josephine pressed.

Damian seemed reluctant to answer.

“You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.” she added.

Damian nodded and went silent.

There was an awkward lull in conversation.

“Winter is nearly upon us.” Alhazred said, seemingly out of nowhere. Josephine shivered just at the thought of it.

“Will we be sent out much, do you think?” she asked. Alhazred tapped his finger on the table as he thought; a frown marring his face.

“I'm unsure. The Cove may be too frozen, and the stone of the Ruins too cold, but I imagine the Warrens stays warm all year round, given the nature of its occupants. The Weald, however...is a mystery to me.”

“You haven't been?” Josephine asked. He shook his head.

“No yet, no. I think there's only been one exploratory excursion so far.” he answered.

“That's odd. It borders the road to the Hamlet, wouldn't it make sense to keep tabs on it?” Josephine asked with a frown. She tapped the table in irritation as she remembered the bandits and dogs from her initial ride to the Hamlet.

Maybe the ride would have been smoother had the Weald been dealt with more frequently.

She tensed and wondered if her disdain was good enough reason for the Heir to made good on his threat.

“Indeed it would.” Alhazred agreed.

It seemed he had more to say, but held his tongue instead.

“Do you know who went?” Josephine asked. Alhazred shook his head.

“It was before I arrived at the Hamlet, so I couldn't tell you. The group that went may not have come back, for all I know.” he reached for his napkin and dabbed at his moustache.

“It would explain a reluctance to send people out there.” Josephine added cautiously, casting her eyes around the room out of paranoia. “But the flora could be very useful, depending what's out there. Good resale on medical ingredients and the like, but with winter coming I can't imagine the selection of harvestable herbs would be worth the risk.”

“Are you interested in the Weald?” Damian asked. Josephine pursed her lips nervously.

“Not if we're entering an off season, no. I'm more about hunting for valuables than...whatever else might be in there.”

“Like Sarmenti's aerial beast?” Alhazred stated more than asked. Josephine nodded grimly.

Damian's gaze lowered to the table as he slipped back into distracted thought.

**Be wary of he who clings to faith too tightly, for he shall crumble viciously when it fails him.**

Alhazred's head shot up to look at Josephine, and she nearly dropped her cup in surprise; spilling tea all over her plate before getting her grip back on it.

“Are you okay?” Damian asked. Josephine forced herself to laugh lightly.

“Not used to being up this early.” she said as she put the cup back down. “The adrenaline from the incident earlier is probably wearing off.”

Alhazred looked at her; eyes wide and lips pressed firmly together.

**We love to see him suffer so.**

The voice's laugh was a low, sadistic rumble that jostled Josephine's heart. It wasn't painful, but it felt so foreign that it stole the breath from her lungs.

“...Perhaps we should retire.” Damian offered. Josephine nodded.

“Yes that...that might be for the best.” she agreed. She slid out of the booth and was followed closely by Damian.

Alhazred was still staring at Josephine in shock from his seat.

She wore a similar expression as she stared back.

“I suppose I'll see you later, then?” Alhazred asked, calm tone not matching the expression on his face in the slightest. Josephine's mouth twitched slightly.

“Yes.” was all she could say before she was ushered out of the Tavern by Damian.

\--

Amani was awoken by a faint hiss somewhere in the distance. Her head swam and her vision blurred as she tried to pull herself to her feet, but she was finding it suspiciously difficult to get up off her stomach. There was too much weight on her back.

Sand cascaded over her shoulders as she rolled over; trying to displace the weight. She was brought face to face with a rattlesnake, who was slapping sand over her with its tail.

It was trying to bury her alive.

“You're half dead already.” it laughed.

Amani threw her shield arm out wide; throwing the sand off of her in a wide arc. She closed her eyes as it rained down on them, rolled onto her back, and jumped to her feet in one fluid motion. She took several steps back and listened intently as she wiped the sand from her face.

The snake that was trying to bury her was snickering lightly.

“No matter. We'll have you yet, thief.”

Amani cast a quick glance over the desert, trying to discern if she was in the nightmare or if the nightmare had come to her.

Junia was lying in the sand; shivering as if it were snow instead.

Paracelsus was staggering to her feet as she clutched at her temple.

Bigby was being dragged off deeper into the desert.

“No!” Amani shouted as she rushed off after him. “Give him back!”

“Why?” the rattlesnake asked, matching her speed as it slithered beside her. “What use is he to you, now that he can't protect you from us?”

Amani gained on the two cobras dragging Bigby away, and went to stab out with a spear she forgot she didn't have. She threw herself off balance and lost her footing; violently tumbling in the sand before hitting the half buried, shattered wheel of a carriage. The cobras laughed.

The rattlesnake came up behind her, laughing as well.

“He was a stronger adversary than you.” it teased, its tongue darting out in excitement, “His trophy could tide us over for now, if you wish it.”

The blood left Amani's face as the snakes danced before her almost gleefully. They had always demanded things from her, so why would they ask to take?

She realized they wanted her to choose to listen to them. They wanted her to think they were doing her a favour.

They thought taking Bigby away from her was a favour.

Something inside her snapped.

Amani screamed so loud that the snakes winced and tucked their heads closer to themselves, and she didn't stop. She couldn't tell if she was horrified, enraged or distraught, but whatever she was feeling was so overwhelming that she couldn't do anything but scream. The rattlesnake, while still recoiling from the sound, looked oddly pleased.

“Very well. We shall see you soon.” it said as the desert started to blow away. Amani scrambled to her feet and tackled Bigby's body; fearing that he'd blow away with it if she didn't hold him back.

A mess of mud had built up over the cloak on his head as the blood was dragged through sand, but otherwise he seemed to be as intact as he was before the desert.

Amani whipped her head around to stare at Paracelsus, who was watching her in shock.

“Do you think you could have been a little more useful?” she spat. Paracelsus' shoulders tensed.

Amani's next thought was interrupted by Junia's groaning.

Followed by her vomiting.

“Are you okay?” Amani asked. Junia, who was twisted onto her side and resting on her forearms, shook her head.

“No...no I hurt...I really don't feel well.” she said through grit teeth before vomiting again.

Amani climbed off Bigby to make her way to Junia. She reached down and placed the back of her hand on Junia's forehead.

“You have a fever.” she stated. Junia nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't do much else.

“Are you...strong enough to heal yourself?” Amani asked carefully. Junia shook her head.

Amani tried not so sigh as her fears were confirmed.

They were in a much worse state than they had been a few hours ago, and they had yet to make it back to the Hamlet.

Amani didn't know what to do, but she had to figure something out. She looked over to Bigby's body.

Leaving him behind was not an option.

She briefly entertained a plan of taking either Junia or Bigby back with Paracelsus and then coming back to pick up the other, but she knew she'd be too exhausted by then, and it would be reckless to leave either of them behind for different reasons.

Bigby could be ravaged by scavengers by the time she got back to him.

Junia could be attacked by anything at all and she wouldn't be able to defend herself, or her fever could kill her if it got worse.

She wished she could rely on Paracelsus, but she was clearly starting to slip into some sort depression or psychological shock.

Amani took a deep breath to centre herself.

“Okay. We have to go.” she said simply. Paracelsus gestured towards Junia with both hands, who was trying not to cry as she curled in on herself in the dirt; snot and vomit clinging to her chin.

“You asking me to carry her too?” Amani asked angrily. Paracelsus drew her hands back and looked away from Amani. Her gaze landed on Bigby's body; her hands starting to shake as she stared at the mess her companion had become.

“Please...don't look at him.” Amani said tiredly.

Paracelsus wasn't listening, so Amani made a point of blocking her line of sight.

“Amani I can't...I'm...dizzy. Cold.” Junia whined quietly. “Help me.”

Amani cast her a tired look, followed by a strained smile.

“I'm going to try.”

She bent over to sling Bigby back over her crusty, bloodstained shoulders, and grit her teeth as she held her shield arm out to Junia.

Junia was too weak to use her own strength to stand, and almost pulled Amani down as she tried to pull herself up. Junia clung to Amani's side as she tried to blink the nausea and faintness out of herself.

She almost vomited again when she realized she was touching Bigby's cold, sticky blood slathered all over Amani's body.

“I know.” Amani said, feeling Junia's trembling hands curl against her as she fought the urge to pull away from her only form of support. “The sooner we get going, the sooner we can deal with this.”

Paracelsus tried to say something, but choked on a wheeze instead.

“Paracelsus make sure I don't fall down this slope.” Amani hissed, choosing not to entertain the doctor anymore now that she was almost literally carrying her whole team.

Paracelsus situated herself beside her and placed her hands on Amani's ribs and back to steady her, but she refused to look at anything but the path ahead.

When they were only ten minutes away from the Hamlet, Amani had grown to hurt so bad she wanted to cry. She had no idea how she was holding up the dead weight of a fully grown man, and more than half the weight of an armoured battle nun. And now she was dragging Paracelsus along, who had let her hands slide down her body to weakly hold on to Josephine's scarf situated on her waist.

Junia vomited all over Amani's side as she tried to put weight on her injured ankle.

Paracelsus nearly took Amani down when she tripped on a rock and gripped on to her sash for support.

“Okay, that's it.” Amani growled as she tried to hip check Paracelsus off of her. “I need you to pull some weight before you hurt me.”

Paracelsus tried to say something, but was immediately interrupted by Amani.

“Stop talking!” She shouted at her, making the doctor flinch. “I need your help, not your self pity!”

Junia shook violently as she once again tried putting weight on her foot.

“Junia STOP!” Amani scolded. “I know you're trying to help, but you're only making things worse!”

“I-I..I'm...I don't want to be a burden.” Junia choked out through tears. Amani pursed her lips as she was starting to feel the weight of guilt along with everything else she was carrying.

“You're not a burden.” Amani said through a frown. “I just need to focus on taking care of you two.”

Paracelsus pulled off her mask to wipe an arm across her face; smearing snot, tears and blood all over herself before putting it back on. She was trembling too much to be of any use, but Amani was trying really hard not to look at Paracelsus objectively. She could feel herself growing irrationally angry with the doctor.

With the both of them, if she was being honest.

Junia gripped onto Amani tightly to stop them in their tracks. Amani nearly screamed at her, but Junia was pointing to the ground with a trembling finger.

Somehow, in her pale, deathly state, she had spotted a tripwire on the path.

Amani darted her eyes into the woods to look for movement, and made direct eye contact with a man dressed in familiar clothing.

“Oh for fuck sake.” she whispered to herself. The man in the woods' eyes went wide, as if he hadn't expected to be spotted, or perhaps he was scared of what had found him.

It took Paracelsus a moment to figure out why they had stopped, but once she had, she frantically reached for her bombs.

Which she had cut off her to stop their pursuers in the Ruins.

“Get out here and let's get this over with.” Amani snarled. The man darted his eyes around before standing up slowly from behind his hiding place. Another man confidently strode out from the opposite side of the path, startling Paracelsus.

“This isn't exactly what I was expecting.” The second man said, looking Paracelsus up and down before looking at Amani and Junia. He looked up to Bigby's body and paled. “That's...some interesting prey you've got there.”

Amani gestured towards the tripwire on the dirt path with her head.

“What kind of prey were you aiming to catch with that?” she retorted. The man pursed his lips and looked at his friend carefully. The first man was ungracefully stumbling through the dense brush on the side of the road to join them on the path. He brushed off his arms and readjusted his green hood; trying too late to hide his scarred face and half shaved head from the women.

“W-we were setting up a prank. Boss and the others went up ahead to do some looting without us...had some time to kill, I don't know.” he answered bizarrely, clearly nervous. Amani narrowed her eyes as she adjusted Bigby on her shoulders.

“Mmhmm.” she vocalized, coming off as unimpressed.

Junia fumbled for her mace, but her hands were shaking too hard to get a good grip on it.

The second man, who was older than his companion by at least a decade and dressed in distressingly familiar furs, crossed his arms.

“What direction you coming from?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at Amani. “You don't seem to be carrying any supplies.”

“Is that supposed to be funny?” she growled. The man's mouth twitched.

“Just making conversation.” he said casually.

“I don't have time for conversation.” Amani hissed, growing irritated with the situation. “Get your juvenile trap out of my way.”

The men frowned at each other.

“We don't like getting bossed around.” The hooded man said. Amani gave him a humourless laugh.

“Could've fooled me. Aren't you waiting in the woods for your boss right now?” she pointed out. Paracelsus elbowed her in the side.

“Stop goading them.” Junia whispered. Amani frowned.

Is that what she was doing?

The furred man rolled his eyes as he sucked his teeth in irritation. Amani wondered if fur equaled confidence with bandits.

“Alright, I think I've had enough of this.” He said as he unsheathed his daggers. “I'm not going to take-”

“You've had enough of this!?” Amani interrupted, eyes wild and teeth bared. “How hard was your night? Did your britches get wet when you hid in the damp woods of your own accord!?”

The hooded man, who was reaching for his weapons, froze, while the furred man gripped his daggers a little tighter.

Amani adjusted Bigby and widened her stance.

“Look what I'm carrying; give him a good fucking look! Do you think you can intimidate a woman willing to drag a dead man out of hell by her fucking self!?” she continued, “I'm willing to bet you're more dead weight than him if you were left behind on a simple FUCKING LOOT!”

It was hard to tell if the men were more confused or startled by Amani's outburst.

They looked at each other nervously.

Junia and Paracelsus did the same.

The furred man made a few twists and flicks with his wrist; dropping a few fingers from his dagger to add to the hand motions. The younger man pursed his lips and shook his head.

The furred bandit gestured to the woods with his head, ordering his hooded companion to retreat. The hooded man walked back into the woods, while the furred bandit slowly disabled the trap; untying some explosives from the tree the tripwire was attached to.

Seemed oddly lethal for a prank.

“Whatever you say, lady.” he said as he pocketed a few components. “We'll get out of your hair.”

He walked off after his younger companion; carefully giving Amani the side eye as he crossed her path.

Junia let out an audible sigh of relief as soon as the rustling of the bandit's feet were too far off to hear. She fidgeted nervously with Amani's bloody, vomit covered top as she leaned into her for support.

“We can't win a fight right now.” she stated.

“You mean you two can't.” Amani bit back. Junia tensed against Amani.

“No.” She said, gripping Amani a little tighter for emphasis, “I mean we.”

Amani furrowed her brow as the nun whimpered and shook against her.

Paracelsus stood beside them, awkwardly shuffling from foot to foot.

Amani sighed in irritation.

“Then I guess we better keep going before we run into something I can't scare off.” she snipped.

\--

Amani's knees were shaking by the time she had made it to the Hamlet, and she figured she was still standing out of pure determination. Her breathing was ragged, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Junia's beside her. The nun was near delirious; clutching to Amani as she was almost dragged to the empty square.

It was impossible to tell how Paracelsus was coping with her face hidden, but she had walked into the waist high fence on the way in and hadn't noticed until Amani shouted at her.

Amani stopped just in front of the crumbling statue.

“GET THEM OFF ME!” she screamed.

The Tavern door burst open, letting out Boudica and Audrey. Boudica's run faltered into a stagger as she figured out what Amani was carrying. Audrey grew stiff, but forced herself to approach without hesitation.

Josephine nearly tripped over herself in her hurry to open her hut door, and broke into a sprint as soon as she had her footing.

“Give her to me.” Audrey ordered quietly as she took Junia away from Amani. Junia's head lolled into her chest; smearing Audrey's blouse in a mix of blood and vomit.

Josephine's steps grew slower when she realized what was happening, and her legs felt like jelly by the time she reached the square.

She placed a shaky hand over her mouth.

She heard several footsteps coming from the barracks, but they all slowed to a stop behind her.

Audrey was trying to convince Boudica to take Bigby from Amani, but the Hellion's hands were shaking too badly.

Damian exited the Guild, having heard the commotion, and froze.

“Someone has to take him!” Audrey called out. Tardif pushed past Josephine and made his way over. Dismas lost his footing standing in place and stumbled to the side.

“Wh-wh...Big...” he said breathlessly, “How...ha...” he placed a hand over his mouth as he looked to the sky; eyes growing watery.

Audrey passed Junia to Boudica as Tardif grabbed Bigby's body off Amani's shoulders. Amani collapsed as soon as the weight was off her; landing on her knees in a boneless mess.

“Where's Para?” Audrey asked her quietly. Amani glared at her.

“I got her back here alive; if she got lost from the gate to the square then that's on her.” she snapped.

Audrey didn't outwardly react to Amani's aggressiveness, instead opting to round in the doctor.

“What happened?” Barriston asked as he rushed out from the Sanitarium. He stopped as soon as he saw Bigby's headless body hanging limp in Tardif's arms.

His face twisted into a mix of horror and regret.

“I don't know.” Audrey said calmly as she dragged the doctor back with her. “But someone needs to deal with Junia or we're gonna have two deaths on our hands.”

Paracelsus vomited in her mask.

“I-I suppose you need me, then.” Alhazred said from somewhere behind Josephine. He wiped his silk sleeve over his eyes with a tremble in his body, and kept his gaze lowered as he approached Boudica and Junia.

Audrey pointed at Josephine, and then to Amani.

“Calm her down.” she mouthed silently.

Josephine nodded hesitantly and wobbled over to Amani on shaky legs. She lowered herself down slowly, and sat on her knees beside her; placing a trembling hand gently on Amani's gore crusted back.

Amani slowly turned her head, a look of pure rage on her face. Josephine could tell immediately that Amani was out of her mind.

Josephine swallowed nervously.

“Amani.” she whispered.

Clarity came back into Amani's eyes at the sound of Josephine's voice, and her expression slipped from enraged to anguished.

“Dismas was right.” she whispered as she reached out to desperately clutch at Josephine's arm. “The voices, they...he...he killed him and...and he _laughed._ ”

Josephine kept silent; allowing Amani to work through what she needed to.

“This...what happened to her?” Alhazred interrupted as Boudica lowered Junia to the cobbled ground.

“Her leg...Bigby had to carry her.” Amani barely explained, her grip tightening on Josephine's arm. “He convinced us to head back so we could get her help.”

Alhazred muttered to Boudica, who took the makeshift cast off Junia's foot.

“No, that's not it.” he said worriedly as he knelt down to get a better look. “This looks like muscle damage; nothing that should cause a fever.”

Paracelsus removed her mask; vomit sliding off her face as she dropped it to the ground.

She croaked horribly as she pointed to her own face; tapping the bridge of her nose before pointing at Junia.

Boudica ripped the bandaging off Junia's face and was splattered with a burst of foul smelling pus.

“How could it have progressed this fast?” Alhazred said to himself in shock. “Please stand back; we've no time to waste.”

Boudica, Audrey and Paracelsus all backed up to let Alhazred take a seat by Junia's head.

He took in a very deep, shaky breath as he slipped the candled skull out of his robes.

He placed the skull in his lap and steepled his fingers over it as he closed his eyes. A large, dark portal formed above he and Junia like a brewing storm cloud; cracking and fracturing like glass to give way to countless orange tentacles. They slammed into the ground around Junia; cracking the stone surrounding her by the sheer force of their strike.

Their switch from violent to tender was jarring as a few slipped under Junia's head to cradle it like a lover. Her torso was raised from the ground, and the tentacles allowed her head to loll slightly in their grasp. The wound on her face started to evaporate into the ever darkening cloud above her; its appearance shifting from storm cloud to a sharp edged tear in reality. The dark void of space started to bleed down to surround Alhazred.

Dismas let out a wet hack.

Junia's eyes popped open and she started to scream. She thrashed wildly in the tentacles' grip as they switched back to vicious and gripped her a little too tightly.

“Enough...” Alhazred gasped as he started choking in the fast fading atmosphere around him; the darkness above settling around him like a thick mist.

The tentacles ripped themselves back into the void; dropping Junia roughly to the ground.

The portal faded away like fog in the midday sun, and Alhazred took a deep, choppy breath.

Junia was unconscious, but her festering wound had been replaced with a deep scar. Boudica placed the back of her hand on Junia's forehead.

“Fever's gone.” she said quietly.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Alhazred buried his face in his hands and started to weep.

Tardif shifted awkwardly as he tried to cradle Bigby a little closer to him. Bigby's hand bumped against his hip, and the motion knocked something out of his hand.

It bounced and rolled to a stop right at Amani's knees.

The familiar eye flitted its gaze on her.

Amani jolted to her feet and cried out in a panic, and Josephine scurried away from the eye as it started to smoulder.

Paracelsus whipped her head around and gasped as the eye rolled to face her. She kept the eye contact as she fumbled for her knife at her hip, and she stumbled over her own feet as she tried to rush towards it.

Audrey tried to grab her before she hit the ground but missed. Paracelsus crawled towards the eye in a panic, nearly dropping her knife along the way, and stabbed it viciously.

She did it again and again and again, until Audrey had to pull her away from the pulpy mess.

Paracelsus writhed in Audrey's grasp, attempting a scream as best as she could before breaking into a silent sob.

“We need to find somewhere to put him until we can prepare a grave.” Audrey said, voice deadpan as it could be as she struggled to keep her face neutral. Her brow creased as her mouth started to tremble; her efforts to keep it still by clenching her teeth failing her.

“The...the Sanitarium. I'll get things prepared.” Barriston said dejectedly; his eyes downcast as he gestured for Tardif to follow him. “We shouldn't leave him out here.”

They quietly walked off; Bigby's limp body bouncing lightly with each of Tardif's steps.

Josephine turned away, unable to watch any longer. She faced the small group as she turned; jolting at the sudden sound of shattering wood.

Damian had punched through the Guild's front door; thrusting his arm through all the way to his elbow. He pulled it back unflinchingly through the splinters, allowing them to shred his arm, and punched the door again; this time utterly obliterating it into scraps that clattered loudly to the ground.

He punched the wall and it cracked.

Sarmenti had taken a seat in the wet, dead grass beside the path to the barracks. He had slid his mask back into place, and was staring down at nothing as his arms rested limply in his lap.

Dismas was doubled over and covering his mouth as he shook violently; his teary eyes darting around fearfully.

Josephine could see the spot of black bleeding through his red gloves and dripping onto his scarf, and felt a cold fear wash over her from head to toe.

A choked cry brought Josephine's attention to someone she wasn't expecting.

Reynald was standing rigidly in the middle of the path; face deathly pale and wrought with both shock and sorrow.

“Light, how could...after how I...” he said breathlessly though trembling lips, “...you punish him?”


	22. Broken Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hamlet struggles with the death of Bigby, some more that others, and Josephine finds herself in the midst of the worst of it as she and Amani enlist help to clear the graveyard for Bigby's burial.  
> Dismas is forced to share his secret when something goes horribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've had this bizarre energy for the last few months that I just can't seem to fully shake off, and I didn't want to bring that into this fic. I've been working on this chapter on and off in the meantime, though it didn't turn out how I expected.
> 
> Again, I'm always reading and appreciating your comments, even if I don't respond :)

After Barriston and Tardif disappeared into the Sanitarium with Bigby's body, everyone started to disperse. Boudica carried Junia to the Tavern, presumably to her room, and Audrey ushered Paracelsus back towards the Barracks. Sarmenti showed no sign of moving as they walked past him.

Dismas removed his gloves and tucked in his scarf before approaching Alhazred, who was still kneeling on the cobbled ground as he wept. Dismas placed a hand on his shoulder silently.

Damian had ceased his attack on the Guild and was standing still; his body stiff as a board and his eyes blanker than the grey sky above them. His blood ran freely down his arm to drip to the ground beside him. Josephine could see his lips moving, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

Reynald was staring at the door to the Sanitarium as if it had personally wounded him, and he had been powerless to stop it. He looked pained. Guilty.

Josephine was startled when an arm wrapped itself around hers, and she looked over to see Amani's blood splattered and tear stained face staring blankly ahead at nothing. Her lip quivered as she tightened her grip on Josephine.

Josephine realized she was so busy trying to distract herself from her own sadness by observing everyone else that she had neglected the most important person in her life.

“Amani,” she choked out as the grim reality of the situation caught up to her, “we should wash the bl...the grime off you.”

Amani nodded.

Josephine led Amani to the bathhouse in silence; her hands beginning to tremble the closer they got.

The bathhouse was located across from the Brothel, which was used to wash the laundry as well. It was similar to the Warren Baths, in that washing basins were separated from each other, but the bathhouse itself was constructed with a lot more care in mind. For one, there were doors, allowing for a lot more privacy, and a lot more baths to choose from.

Josephine quietly led Amani to one in the very back and closed the door behind them.

They both crashed together in a tight, desperate embrace.

“I don't know how I did it.” Amani croaked into Josephine's hair as she buried her face into it. “I...I couldn't leave them behind, but-”

“Shh, it's okay.” Josephine interrupted, her voice shaking slightly as she trembled against Amani. “You're here now. You're safe.”

Amani broke down into tears.

“Let's get you into the bath.” Josephine said, but made no motion to pull away from her.

“Okay” Amani whispered, staying put as well.

They stood together for much longer than they both expected, long enough for Amani's legs to quiver and strain from their long, brutal push home. Josephine lowered her onto the wobbly, warped wooden chair sitting beside the basin, and began to fill it with hot water. Amani watched her absently, noting that she had lightly soiled her clothes from their hug. It wasn't the only piece of clothing she had soiled.

“I'm sorry.” she choked out, her arms hanging limp at her sides. “I ruined your scarf.”

Josephine stopped fiddling with the taps to look at Amani, a look of shock on her face.

“I...I couldn't care less. I have you back, and that's all that matters.”

Tears streamed down Amani's face as she smiled at Josephine, and she let out a quiet sob.

As much as it pained Josephine, she turned her attention back to the bath, pouring soap into the stream of water to foam up the water.

“I love you.” Amani whispered.

“I love you too.” Josephine said back, her smile growing shaky as she tried to keep herself together. “We'll have to undress you; the bath is ready.”

Josephine turned off the taps and walked over to Amani to help her undress. It was clear to her that Amani's body ached all over, that even something as simple as undressing could be too difficult for her.

She started with her armour: the helmet, followed by her pauldron, her belt, and her poleyn as she worked her way down. Amani trembled as she watched her, her body starting to realize just how exhausted it was. Josephine unravelled her destroyed scarf from Amani's hips, and slid her pants down carefully, watching for the slash on her hip and the scrape on her leg.

“I can tend to these after we wash you; it'll help with the cleaning process.” Josephine explained as she unwrapped Amani's feet. Amani nodded her understanding, despite the fact that Josephine's attention was elsewhere.

Josephine moved on to Amani's top, careful of her bruised shoulder and struggling slightly to figure out how to take it off. She moved on to the wrapping on her head, wincing at the matted mess her braid had become, and came back to it, finally exposing Amani to her completely.

Josephine had never seen her look so vulnerable, so tired and distraught, and she hated it.

It was all the heir's fault. Amani's suffering, Paracelsus' distress, Junia's injuries.

Bigby's death. All of it. Josephine shook her head, trying to clear the rage that was starting to build up in her heart, in her very soul. She could dwell on it later, when it was safe. When everything Amani needed was taken care of.

“Let me take off these bandages.” she said, reaching for Amani's arm.

“No!” Amani shrieked, pulling it away from Josephine, fear in her eyes. Josephine froze, her hands still poised to touch Amani's arm.

“...Amani, what's wrong?” she asked. “What...are you hurt? We'll have to get it looked at.”

“No I...” Amani paused as she caught her breath, her panic causing her to hyperventilate, “You wouldn't understand, I don't...I'm...” she lost the words as she looked up at Josephine. She looked hurt.

“Do you not trust me?” she asked. Amani's heart sank.

“No, no I do, of course I do, I just...it's disgusting.” she explained, choking on a sob. “I'm changing, and I don't want to scare you away.” Josephine shook her head, tears dancing in her eyes.

“There's nothing you could do to scare me away.” she said, trying to laugh as she too choked up, “You can't get rid of me, sorry.”

Amani closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“I'm sorry. I believe you. I'm letting that...that old man get to me. Dismas was right about the whispers, about how they worm at you; try to tear you apart.” she explained.

Josephine pursed her lips.

“You shouldn't have been sent down there.” she stated. “Now...will you let me see your arm?”

Amani hesitated, but handed her arm over for Josephine to unravel.

Josephine started at the forearm, where the bandages were already loose, and slowly peeled back the grimy, bloodstained gauze. From under her fingers, where she gripped the arm in the middle, the skin felt bumpy. Hard. She gasped as the bandages came undone.

Amani's arm was covered in pale green scales. Josephine's hand shook as she ran her fingers over them, feeling the firmness of them under her fingertips. It felt just like touching a snake.

She looked to Amani.

“Is this part of your curse?” she asked quietly. Amani averted her gaze and nodded, her arm trembling in Josephine's grip.

Josephine really, _really_ hated to see her like this. She paused as she ran through her thoughts, trying to think of what to say.

“Let's...take things one at a time for now. We'll worry about cleaning you up and go from there.” she suggested. Amani took in a shaky breath and nodded as she allowed Josephine to help her to her feet.

“Thank you.” she whispered.

Josephine helped her up the small steps to the wooden basin, and Amani sighed as she entered it. Josephine grabbed a cloth from the bucket of towels beside her, turned back to Amani and froze.

Bubbles coated the surface of the water, sticking mostly to the sides of the basin in large, fluffy piles. The water rippled and sloshed as Amani shifted in the basin, trying to stretch out her loosening muscles in the hot water.

It rippled like the ocean, splashed against the edge to push the bubbles to coat the side like sea foam.

_“Come with me; I can take care of you, Josephine.”_

Josephine flinched, pulling her arm back and tripping over her feet to land flat on her back.

“Are you okay?” Amani asked, leaning over the side of the basin to look at her panting heavily and shaking on the water warped floor.

“I...” Josephine started breathlessly. “I'm fine.”

“Are you sure?” Amani pressed. Josephine nodded as she stared at the side of the basin, eyes unfocused and blank. She struggled to her feet and handed Amani the washcloth with trembling hands.

“I'm going to get you a new set of clothes.” she said, focusing on Amani's face as she heard the water ripple and splash. Amani nodded slowly, worry marring her face.

Josephine rushed out of the bathhouse in a hurry, pushing the doors open wildly and collapsing against the walls of the brothel. She couldn't catch her breath, couldn't calm the heart hammering away in her chest.

**Do you fear the depths, Josephine?**

Josephine's panic rose to unbearable levels as the air pressure dropped and a vein popped in her nose. She cupped a hand to her nose to let the blood spill into her palm and down her wrist, unsuccessfully trying to stop the flow.

There was no hiding from the entity, she knew. No lies she could tell, no secrets she could keep.

“No.” she lied anyway. The entity's laughter, a strange noise dancing in the fringes of her mind, made her whole body curl in on itself; a primal desire to protect itself from harm.

**Do not lie to us, Josephine. We will drop our favour on a whim, leave all to play out as it will without us.**

Josephine took in a deep breath and nodded, blood spilling over her cupped palm and dripping to the ground below. She shivered and gasped as the air grew thinner and colder; cold like the depths of space. Fear gripped her as the blood in her palm cooled too quickly.

**You have time yet.**

The voice was too close, booming within her skull, and then as soon as it had arrived, it vanished. The air warmed back into that of a late, crisp autumn and Josephine's nose stopped bleeding. She shook the blood off her hand as she caught her breath.

What was the entity playing at?

\--

It took Josephine long enough to clean Amani's hair that the Madame had the time to sew up an entire new outfit for her, albeit she only had a small selection of fabric to work with. It was grey, for the most part, though it seemed the Madame had a washed out green fabric to replace the sash.

Amani needed help to dress, but she was looking a lot better after her bath. Josephine had patched her up, grateful that her wounds weren't as bad as they seemed under all that grime, and helped lead her back to their hut.

Sarmenti was still sitting on the edge of the path to the Barracks, his pants wet from the grass. Josephine frowned at him softly.

“You should get inside.” she suggested. Sarmenti sighed.

“I don't have the energy.” he explained, slowly looking up at Josephine from his spot on the grass.

“You're going to make me carry you home too?” Josephine joked halfheartedly. Sarmenti scoffed.

“No. No I'll...I'll get to it eventually.” he answered. Josephine pursed her lips and nodded, taking Amani back to their hut. She stopped at the door and looked back to his hunched, tiny frame.

“I will come back for you, if you need me to, but...”

“Don't worry about me; worry about her.” Sarmenti interrupted as he waved his hand noncommittally. “I know you have a habit of taking charge, trying to fix everyone's problems, but you're going to wear yourself out if you try to do that now.”

Josephine was a little taken aback at the remark, and she hesitated before opening the door to leading Amani inside.

“Let's get you some rest.” Josephine said as she lead Amani to her bed.

Amani pulled Josephine with her onto the mattress, clutching her tightly to her chest as she buried her face in her hair.

“Stay with me.” she whispered.

“Of course.” Josephine agreed.

They didn't leave their hut until the following day, and only after Josephine was sure Amani was feeling better. She was still sore, but all things considered, she was doing fine.

Barriston wouldn't let anyone see the body.

“It's...degrading fast.” he explained tiredly, the dark circles under his eyes telling the tale of a long, sleepless night. “We need to bury it quickly, but with the graveyard how it is, it's currently impossible.”

“We should work on clearing it then.” Amani said as she leaned on the Nurse's desk for support. Barriston quirked a small, humourless smile.

“I was going to round up some volunteers this afternoon and see what could be done.” he said.

“We could help.” Josephine offered.

Barriston gave Amani a quick once over, taking note of her weak posture and bruise riddled body.

“Would you be able to, as you are now?” he asked her. Amani frowned.

“I owe him.” she nearly growled. Barriston pursed his lips.

“I won't stop you, but...” he trailed off, his eyes growing dark and distant.

An awkward pause fell between the three of them.

“We can at least gather people for you; let you worry about whatever other preparations need to be done.” Josephine said after a time. Barriston nodded.

“If...no, never mind.” he began, turning his back on them to head back to the basement. “I'll gather up some tools in a moment and meet you at the graveyard.”

Amani and Josephine shared a look of worry as he shut the door behind him.

“...Do you want to see who's out and about while I go through the Barracks? I'll start at the end just in case you finish before me.” Josephine suggested. Amani nodded, but not before grabbing Josephine's hand and giving it a squeeze.

“Do you think I should apologize?” she asked quietly. Josephine furrowed her brow.

“This isn't your fault.” she reassured. Amani shook her head.

“No, I mean for my behaviour yesterday. Junia and Paracelsus, they...” she trailed off, opting to finish her thought with a sigh. Josephine nodded in thought.

“Things might be too fresh. It might be better to let everyone grieve right now and worry about that later.” she said. Amani nodded.

“I think you're right.”

They split up, Amani heading for the tavern and Josephine to the Barracks.

The Tavern was quiet and near empty, save for Boudica who was surrounded by empty tankards and nursing a new one, and Norville, who sat silently at the meeting table, staring down at nothing.

Boudica looked up from her drink.

“How are you feeling?” she asked. Amani gave her a strained smile.

“Alright, considering.” she said. Boudica nodded, and silence lapsed between them.

Boudica took another swig from her tankard and placed it down dully, a jarring change from the usual way she'd slam it down on the table whenever they drank together.

“Sit.” she said. Amani shook her head.

“We're gathering up people to clear the graveyard.” she stated. Boudica pushed her chair out from the table and stood slowly, blinking her way through the wave of nausea she must have been feeling from a sleepless night of drinking.

“I'm in. I'll...I'll meet you there.” she said, stumbling past Amani and heading for the bathroom, a hand clasped to her mouth.

Amani turned her attention to Norville, who was looking up from the table and across the room at her. He nodded and stood, Sasha jumping off the seat beside him to follow him out of the Tavern.

Amani looked at the stairs leading to the second floor.

Junia would be of no help, but perhaps she should at least be informed as to what was happening. Amani made her way up the stairs, hesitating more and more the closer she got to the top.

Maybe Junia wouldn't want to see her right now. She was a little hazy on the details, but Amani knew she had blown up on her on the way back from the Ruins.

Even so, she felt she should talk to Junia. The walk down the hall was a little better, now that Amani had made up her mind, and she knocked lightly on the door.

There was no answer at first.

“Junia?” she called quietly.

“...yes?” Junia answered weakly.

“I...just wanted to let you know we're going to start clearing the graveyard.” she explained, suddenly aware of how pointless the conversation was. What use was this information to Junia?

“Oh, alright.” Junia answered. For all intents and purposes, their conversation should be over.

“How's your ankle?” Amani asked anyway.

“I...can't heal it just yet.” Junia said hesitantly. It didn't come as a shock to Amani, what with how rough a shape Junia had been in just yesterday, but there was something with the halting way Junia spoke that made her uneasy.

“I'll leave you be.” Amani said, turning away to walk across the creaky floorboards of the hall. They were oppressively loud in the tense silence that hung in the air.

\--

Josephine wasn't too excited to talk to Reynald. The fight yesterday was odd, unnerving even, and she wasn't sure how much help Dismas had been to him after the fact. It was clear that the Crusader had been projecting something on Bigby, but with how unstable he had been lately, his death may have rattled something dark in him.

The Entity's warning came to mind.

“ _ Be wary of he who clings to faith too tightly, for he shall crumble viciously when it fails him.” _

Since it had warned her whilst she was with Damian, she had assumed it was speaking of him, but who was to say if that was truly the case.

Josephine rapped on the door to Reynald's hut.

“Reynald?” she asked as she pushed open the door, opting to barge in and get it over with.

Reynald was sitting on his bed in complete darkness, slouched over as he rested his arms on his knees. He looked up at Josephine, turning his head slowly. Josephine tensed as her eyes adjusted, exposing the bloodshot, dead look on his face to her.

“We're clearing the graveyard.” she said, tightening her grip on the door handle. “If you're willing to help, it would be appreciated.”

Reynald nodded absently and turned his attention back to the floor, but otherwise did not react. Josephine shut the door and moved on; she thought it wise to leave him be.

Next was Alhazred and Dismas, though she wasn't sure if she should bother them. In so far as they knew Alhazred wasn't able to step on holy ground, and Dismas was...ill, but she supposed she should be courteous and at least inform the two of them. She knocked on the door, this time waiting for a response. Dismas opened it, shooting her a strained smile as he leaned on the door frame. He looked downright awful, and someone who didn't know better might have thought him on death's door. 

“Hey.” he greeted.

“Hey.” Josephine greeted back. “Are you alright?”

Dismas smiled humorlessly.

“What, physically or mentally?” he asked, flashing his teeth. “Answer's no, either way.”

“You look...alarmingly ill.” Josephine stated. Dismas looked away from her, pulling his scarf up a little higher on his face.

“I'd believe it.” he muttered. Josephine frowned at Dismas' new scarf and glove set; the dark brown was so different from the red she was used to that it almost offended her.

“Is that you, Josephine?” Alhazred called out from behind Dismas. Dismas pushed the door open fully so Alhazred could see. Josephine gave him a small wave.

“We're gathering people up people to help clear the graveyard, and I thought I'd stop and see how you two are doing.” she explained. Dismas grimaced.

“Can't help you there.” he said. Alhazred swallowed thickly and firmed his lips.

“I wish I could help.” he said. His eyes were puffy and shadowed by dark circles, which told Josephine he must have been crying up until just recently. The man looked exhausted, perhaps more so than Barriston did.

“You and Bigby were close, weren't you?” Josephine asked. Alhazred nodded.

“Yes, I suppose we were. We weren't spending as much time together as of late, but we often studied together to pass the time.” he answered.

“It's why we got the table.” Dismas added, gesturing to it casually. Josephine's eyes widened in surprise.

“I didn't know that.” she said. Alhazred sighed quietly and nodded as they fell into silence.

“Did you have time to visit? You can come in if you like.” Dismas offered. Josephine shook her head.

“No, I better not.” she said. Dismas nodded.

“Be seeing you, then.” he said before shutting the door.

Josephine could feel her shoulders slump and her already low spirits sink. Her next stop was Damian, whose hut was now his alone now that Bigby had passed.

She paused at the door, wondering how to approach him. She was only here to ask for help for what was, in reality, basic labour; she shouldn't have to be so cautious. She wished it really was that simple. 

She rose her hand to knock and paused. The door was askew, the hinges loose enough that it no longer sat properly in its frame, but it was more worrying that blood was smeared over the handle and most of the wood around it.

Josephine forwent courtesy and opened it slowly, wincing as the wood scraped along the stone beneath it.

The first thing she noticed was the smell, followed immediately by its source. Blood was splattered across the walls, floor and ceiling in a grotesque display of madness, and at the epicentre was Damian, his near naked body rent to the bone and surrounded by the shattered remains of his furnishings.

“Oh...light...Damian?” Josephine said breathlessly, covering her mouth with a trembling hand. The man didn't move, stayed as he was kneeling on the floor as he stared dead ahead at nothing. The door jammed as Josephine pushed it in further, and she was forced to worm her way past it to enter the hut. She was shaking, scared as the entity's warning resurfaced in her mind, but she couldn't ignore this.

“Damian?” she whispered as she stumbled over chunks of bed frame to get closer to him.

She could see the damage more clearly now; forearms shredded into a bloody pulp, blood slicked thighs too soaked to spot the wounds, and thick muscle torn straight from the bone to hang loose from his left shoulder.

Josephine could feel the blood rush from her face, and she had to lean against the edge of Damian's toppled wardrobe to steady herself as a whine built up in her ears. It was hard for her to catch her breath as she inhaled hot, copper tinged air, the flavor of which coated the back of her throat.

“Are you alright?” Damian asked, startling Josephine's body into sending a painful thrill of fear through her heart.

“Am _I_ alright?” she asked incredulously as her vision focused back on Damian's bloody face. “What happened to you?”

Damian didn't answer. Josephine forced herself back to her feet to approach him on shaky legs, and carefully knelt beside him on the ground.

“Are you okay?” she pressed, reaching out to touch him but falling short.

“....No.” Damian admitted.

“What do you need?” Josephine asked, eyes darting between his and the flap of muscle peeled from his bone. Damian looked lost and confused as he furrowed his brow, lips twitching as he struggled with his thoughts.

“Him.” he said quietly.

The answer surprised both of them.

“What?” Josephine asked, completely dumbfounded. Damian's mouth went slack as he processed his own admission.

“I...don't understand, he was...how did he...a monster like that, I-” he babbled as he rose to his feet, clutching his head in both hands as he swayed unsteadily. Josephine scrambled away from him as his breathing grew heavy and frantic, sensing something dangerous bubbling up in him. 

“How could he DIE?!” he shouted, digging his nails into his temples and clawing down his face. “THE  _ WRETCH!” _

Josephine bumped against the topped wardrobe, accidentally backing herself against it.

“Damain-”

“WHY WOULD YOU  _ WASTE  _ THE TIME EXPLAINING YOURSELF TO ME IF YOU WERE JUST GOING TO GO OFF TO  _ ROT _ ?!” Damian roared, interrupting Josephine. She flinched as he grabbed a semi intact chair and threw it through the window, shattering glass all over the both of them. 

“Damian, stop!” Josephine shouted as he gripped the window frame and tore it from the wall, dislodging some of its stone to crash to his feet. “You're tearing yourself apart! Look at your hands!”

Damian punched the wall with a loud crack, too lost in his rage to hear her.

“HOW COULD YOU LET HIM DO THIS TO ME?!” he bellowed, voice breaking slightly. “YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM BEFORE I CARED!”

The front door was noisily kicked open, the wood screeching against stone before becoming unhinged and collapsing to the ground.

“Holy shit!” Dismas exclaimed in shock. “What the fuck happened!?”

“Stop him! If he keeps this up he's going to end up killing himself!” Josephine shouted from her spot on the floor. Dismas rushed in and launched himself over the toppled wardrobe, landing right beside Josephine before springing straight at Damian. Damian swung out blindly, reacting to the hostile movement on instinct, but missed as Dismas ducked under the man's bloody, shattered fist. Dismas kicked out, slamming the top of his foot behind Damian's knee. Damian's leg gave out easily and he fell to his knee as he failed to catch his balance. Dismas clocked him hard in the head with hardly a reaction.

Damian caught Dismas by the wrist.

“Shit!” Dismas screamed as Damian squeezed, crying out as something cracked in the man's grasp. Dismas tried to yank back his arm as he kicked hard, hitting Damian in the ribs with only a grunt for a reaction. “Fuck! I need help!”

Josephine stumbled to her feet and started sifting through her bags in a panic.

“Everything I have is lethal! I can't take him!” she shouted. Her eyes darted around the ruined hut as she thought. “Hold on!”

She turned and ran back outside, stumbling over the fallen door in her hurry.

“REYNALD!” she screamed desperately. Reynald's door flew open as he burst through it, breaking into a full run towards Josephine. Alhazred, who must have been listening from his doorway, waited from Reynald to pass before following.

“Stop Damian!” she said, pointing into the hut to direct the Crusader. The fallen door cracked under his feet as he hurried inside.

Dismas screamed as Damian twisted his wrist the wrong way, snapping a bone in his forearm and dislocating his hand with a sickening, grinding pop. Reynald was on him in an instant, slamming his fist into Damian's nose as he gripped Dismas by the back of his jacket, pulling him free of Damian as the man recoiled. Dismas fell against the fallen mattress and onto his back, screwing his eyes shut and clutching his arm as he was hit with a wave of pain. 

Reynald pulled Damian to his feet by the hair and shoved him hard against the wall.

“Calm down, brother!” he shouted as Damian thrashed against him.

“Why?!” Damian shouted back, gritting his teeth as Reynald pressed his forearm against his neck. “Do you think it uncouth to express my disdain?!”

“Disdain for what?!” Reynald asked as he kneed Damian in the hip.

“I don't know!” Damian hissed as he tried to push back against Reynald, though his strength was fast fading from his shallow breaths.

“Then stop! Think things over before you tear yourself apart over them!” Reynald scolded. Damian's lips twitched as he stopped clawing at Reynald's arm, and Reynald eased off as his arms went limp. Damian collapsed to the ground in a heap, wheezing and snorting disconcertingly before going silent.

“Move.” Alhazred said as he pushed past Josephine. He quickly scurried over to Damian and dropped to his knees to look him over. “I have to work fast. Step back.”

Reynald firmed his lips and backed away as far as he could without leaving the hut, his eyes darting from Damian to Dismas. Dismas jumped up off the bed in a panic, only managing to make it halfway to the door before Alhazred began his ritual. Josephine rushed over to him and pulled him behind her, shielding him from the rest of the room as best as she could with her small frame.

Dismas twisted himself to hide his injured arm and pulled his scarf up high as tentacles burst through the wall beside Damian, cracking it like glass. The cosmos trickled through the cracks and around the tentacles to envelop Damian's body along with them, dropping the temperature drastically.

Dismas coughed wetly, choked on it, and started to grunt and whimper quietly behind Josephine as something inside him cracked loudly.

Josephine went pale. She had to get Dismas out of there.

**Don't move, lest we take him to suffer among the stars.**

Both Alhazred and Josephine flinched. 

“Don't move.” they said in unison.

The tentacles started soothing Damian, pushing muscle back against bone and massaging skin back into place as the cosmos started to envelop both Damian and Alhazred like a thick fog. Dismas clutched onto Josephine's shoulder as he doubled over, pressing his head against the back of her neck and digging his fingers into her as he tried to muffle a pained groan.

The ice cold contact seeped though Josephine's clothes to chill her skin, sending a shiver up her spine.

She darted her eyes towards Reynald, and was glad to see he was too shocked with the reconstruction of Damian to notice Dismas' whimpering.

Alhazred cut off the spell just as the cosmos almost embraced them fully, and in a flash it was sucked back through the cracks in reality, the tentacles trailing behind.

Josephine didn't move until the temperature warmed its way back to normal.

“You two take care of Damian; we're getting Dismas help.” She said in a hurry, placing a hand on Dismas' back and leading him toward the door.

“But, Alhazred could-” Reynald tried to suggest as Josephine all but pushed Dismas out of the hut.

“We'll see Junia.” she interrupted. “I'll get him sorted, don't worry.” 

Josephine hurried with Dismas, acutely aware of his stumbling and wheezing, and pushed him into her hut, shutting the door behind them. Dismas stumbled over to her bed and collapsed on it, clutching his arm as he whimpered.

“Let me see.” she ordered as she knelt in front of him. Dismas winced and grit his teeth as he handed over his violently trembling arm.

A deep, glittering bruise traced along the twisted, broken bone in his forearm, all the way from the ditch in his arm to his wrist, its shape suggesting a brutal misplacement under his skin. It was swollen near twice its size, but what was more alarming was how it burned Josephine's fingers as she traced down it, almost as if she was running wet fingers over ice.

“Fuck.” Dismas whined, his voice cracking as he caught a glimpse of his hand, and he turned his head away in a hurry.

It was twisted backwards, the skin strained and torn in places to reveal pulsing, black muscle and swirling starry darkness that oozed out languidly to drip onto the floor.

Josephine placed a hand to her mouth as she fought back the urge to vomit.

“Shit.” she whispered, using her free hand to try and drape the shreds of Dismas' sleeve over his ruined arm.

“Yeah, the fucking thing ruined my Jacket just in time for winter.” Dismas tried to joke through clenched teeth and shallow breath. “Won't be a problem if I lose the arm though.”

“Stop it. Junia may be able to help you yet.” Josephine scolded, rising to her feet and reaching out to turn Dismas' head towards her. She pulled down his soiled scarf to inspect his face. Cold, glittering space ran down from his nose to mingle with what Dismas had coughed up. It all gathered on his chin to soak into his scarf. Dismas tried to flash his messy teeth at Josephine in a sardonic smile.

“I prefer to be handled a little rougher than that.” He said. Josephine smirked at the joke, but otherwise ignored it.

“How much can you move your arm?” she asked as she put Dismas' scarf back into place. Dismas winced as he tried to lift it up, but couldn't. He lowered it to let it fall limp against his leg.

“We'll need to hide it.” Josephine stated, letting Dismas' face go to grab something at the head of her bed. She pulled the pillowcase off her pillow and tucked Dismas' arm into it, tying the opening tight around his bicep. Starry black started to bleed into the white fabric near instantly.

“Hm.” Dismas commented blandly. Josephine shrugged.

“It hides the worst of it.” she explained with uncertainty. “Let's go.”

She helped Dismas to his feet, steadying him as he grew faint and wobbly, and threw his good arm over her shoulder to near drag him out of her hut. Dismas' feet dragged and tripped over themselves as he tried to keep up with Josephine, who was struggling to hold up almost all of his weight.

They hurried across the square the best they could in Dismas' condition and all but fell against the Tavern door as Josephine pushed it open, awkwardly balancing some of Dismas' weight against her hip as he leaned on her for support. The Barkeep's glare quickly morphed into a look of worry as they shuffled across the Tavern to the back.

“Sorry 'bout the mess.” Dismas commented as the now sopping wet bottom of the pillowcase dripped across the wood floor. The Barkeep furrowed his brow as he watched them hobble up the stairs, clearly concerned, but not wanting to get involved.

Dismas' breath was laboured by the time they reached Junia's room.

“Junia...Junia we need your help!” Josephine called out, her hands too full to knock on the door. They heard shuffling from behind it, along with the clacking of something moving across the room. Junia opened the door slowly, having trouble maneuvering around it as she both leaned on a pair of crutches and pulled the door inward. Her eyes went wide as she looked the two of them over.

“What happened?” she asked as she hobbled backwards, giving Josephine room to drag Dismas inside.

“I'll explain later; please help him.” Josephine said in a hurry. Dismas' head lolled as he screwed his eyes shut.

“Gonna pass out.” He warned, just before going completely limp, nearly taking Josephine to the ground. She twisted their bodies as he fell, guiding him to land on his left, uninjured side, grimacing as his head slammed against the floor. Junia dropped her crutches and hopped over to kneel at his side.

“His arm.” Josephine directed, watching with baited breath as Junia peeled the pillowcase off his arm. Junia flinched as she caught sight of his hand, dropping the pillowcase and jolting her hands back.

“What...what evil is this?” she asked in a shaky whisper.

“Can you heal it?” Josephine asked, ignoring the question. Junia pursed her lips.

“Maybe, though I'm still weak from the Ruins.” Junia explained slowly, her hands trembling by her chest as she curled her fingers towards her palms.

Junia reached out tentatively to touch Dismas' twisted arm, flinching once again as she made contact with his icy flesh, but she pushed past her discomfort to lay her hands upon him. Light bloomed from her fingertips and spread from them into her palms and down into Dismas' arm, making the starry bruise shift from black to a swirling, deep blue. Junia dragged one hand down his forearm, tracing along the bruise to rest on his hand, with her fingertips placed gently over his wrist.

Dismas' face twitched as things started to pop and twist, forcing themselves back into place as the bruise faded into a night sky, followed by the dawn of a rising sun. Josephine shielded her eyes from the light, which flashed explosively before disappearing abruptly. Dismas' brow furrowed as he groaned, though his eyes did not open.

Junia ran her hands up and down Dismas' arm, smearing the residual blood over it as she tried to warm his skin.

“He's so cold.” she noted quietly as she stilled her hands on his forearm. “What happened to him?”

Josephine tensed, trying to sort out what she should and shouldn't tell the Nun.

“There...was a fight.” She started vaguely. Junia's eyes widened as she whipped her head to look up at Josephine.

“A monster entered the Hamlet?” she asked in horror. Josephine shook her head.

“No, no it was...Damian.” she explained hesitantly. Junia went rigid.

“...What? No, Damian...this is evil work, he wouldn't...he _couldn't_ do this.” she said.

“ 's not evil,” Dismas groaned as he tried to open his eyes, “it's...I dunno. Playfully sadistic.”

Junia turned her attention back to him, frowning as she continued to warm his arm, though unbeknownst to her, her efforts were futile.

“I don't understand.” she stated. Dismas struggled to sit up, pausing to take a breather as he leaned up on his elbows.

“Damian broke my arm, sure, but everything else...” he stopped, smiling almost wickedly before scoffing, “circumstance.”

Junia let go of his arm and shuffled away from him, concern marring her face. She darted her eyes between Dismas and Josephine. She looked scared.

“What circumstances? Why are you being so vague?” she asked as she fumbled for her crutches. “You can't demand my help and expect not to explain yourselves.”

Josephine extended a hand to her as she gave her a hesitant look, helping the nun to her feet.

“I know, it's just...I don't think this is safe to discuss.” she explained lamely. Junia shook her head.

“No. Tell me.” she demanded, asserting herself uncharacteristically. Josephine let out a tense sigh and looked to Dismas, who had worked himself into a seated position, his legs crossed and his elbows resting on his knees as he let his arms hang loose in his lap.

“No use dancing around it.” he mumbled, staring into his lap. “Long and short of it is I'm cursed or something; we don't know. Something went wrong while you lot were gone and now I can't be around Alhazred's magic or stuff like this happens.” he waved his healed arm around before dropping it back in his lap.

“Alhazred did this to you?” Junia asked breathlessly, shock and horror on her face.

“No, it's not like that.” Dismas said with a frown. “Accidents happen, and we just have to live with what they've done to us.” his gaze grew distant as his mind travelled elsewhere. Junia stared down at him, growing pale as something dawned on her.

“Did the light take one cursed one from us, just to grant us another?” she whispered to herself. Fear gripped Josephine's heart and it sank into her stomach as something dawned on her as well. She fought the urge to back away from Junia as she adjusted her weight on her crutches.

If her suspicions were correct, the entity's warning about the religious wasn't about Damian. It was about _all of them_. 

\--

It turned out that Tardif and Sarmenti had gone to investigate the commotion while Josephine and Dismas were gone, and they were greeted with a set of terse smiles once they returned. 

“What a mess.” Sarmenti commented with a frown. Dismas placed a hand on his hip and sighed as Josephine nodded grimly. “What happened? We couldn't hear much of it from down the way, but Reynald said Damian went ballistic on you two.” 

“Not exactly.” Josephine said distractedly as she scanned the room. Damian was lying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, and by his side stood Reynald, who was keeping a close watch. 

“We can't get a word out of him.” Tardif explained, following her gaze to the bed. Alhazred stood at the foot of it, wringing his hands nervously as he looked over at Dismas. 

“I was just gathering people to help clear the graveyard when I saw Damian's door was broken, so I took a look inside and he was just...ripped to shreds, surrounded by destruction.” Josephine began to explain as she fidgeted with her rings. “I thought he was dead, but when I checked on him he just kind of...slipped into madness, started tearing into his head and screaming about Bigby.”

A tense silence filled the room. Reynald looked down at Damian in shock. 

“That's probably where I came in. I tried to stop his rampage but, well, look at me. I'm not exactly built to handle a man like that at the best of times, especially when he's...wild.” Dismas said, continuing where Josephine left off. “Josephine grabbed Reynald and he handled it, then Alhazred patched Damian up. End of story.”

Sarmenti nodded to himself. 

“Well, what now?” he asked. 

“Fuck if I know.” Dismas shrugged.

Alhazred placed a hand on his chin in thought. 

“I'd say take him to the Sanitarium, even if just for a short while. This place may be too much for him emotionally, under current circumstances.” he suggested. Tardif made his way across to Damian, kicking debris out of his way, and gripped him by the arm. 

“Come on.” he said, lifting Damian up. Damian let himself be guided, stood up from the bed, and followed Tardif wordlessly. They all waited until the two of them left before turning back to each other. 

“Are you alright?” Reynald asked Dismas from across the room. Dismas nodded. 

“Good as I ever was.” he said, flashing Reynald a smile as he rotated his healed wrist in demonstration. He turned his eyes to Alhazred, who seemed relieved at the news. 

Sarmenti clapped his hands together. 

“Well, you said we're clearing the graveyard today?” he asked as he adjusted his gloves. “I'm out, but I'm sure Tardif will help once he gets back. Need me to help rounding people up?”

“No, Amani was helping me earlier. She was going to finish up the other end of the Barracks if I didn't get to them first.” Josephine explained, declining his offer. 

They all dispersed, all but Reynald and Josephine returning to their huts. Reynald followed Josephine in silence as she made her way along the huts, finding that most of them were empty, up until Audrey and Paracelsus'. Amani was standing in front of the door, her hand raised hesitantly to knock.

She didn't notice the two of them approach her, and was startled when Josephine placed her hands on Amani's arm. Amani's brow was knit and her mouth firm.

Reynald kept walking. 

“Are you worried about upsetting Paracelsus?” Josephine asked. Amani lowered her eyes in shame as she nodded. “Let me, then. I'll meet up with you shortly.” 

Amani sighed and let her arm slip from Josephine's grasp. 

“Okay.” she said quietly, turning to head off to the graveyard. Josephine watched her go, watched as she looked back over her shoulder with worry.

Josephine knocked on the door and waited for an answer. 

Audrey cracked the door, just enough to expose her face to the outside. Her eyes were dark and bloodshot, and the way her shoulders slumped suggested that she hadn't had the chance to get any rest. 

“Hi love, what can I do for you?” she asked. 

“We're...clearing the graveyard, and was wondering if we could get your help.” Josephine said hesitantly, watching as Audrey quickly shot a glance over her shoulder back inside. She waved Josephine a little closer to her. 

“Now's a bad time. Para's not doing well.” Audrey whispered once Josephine had leaned in. “I'll pop on by later if things change.” 

“Do you two need anything?” Josephine asked quietly, her brow furrowed in worry. Audrey smiled tiredly. 

“Thanks babe, but we'll be okay for now.” she answered. “I'll see you later.”

And with that, they both backed away from each other, and Audrey closed the door. 

Josephine placed a hand over her mouth as she fought back a wave of nervous nausea, shook her head to clear it, and made her way down the path after Amani to the square. 

Audrey was a smart, capable woman. If Paracelsus needed help, she was sure Audrey was more than capable to sort things out for her, or so she hoped.  



End file.
